Defying Death
by Melkor's Mercy
Summary: Just when Arthas is about to die, he narrowly escapes Icecrown Citadel. With his broken blade in hand, he seeks refuge in Outland to escape justice. Broken and powerless, he must rely on his wits. His entire mindset changes as he must learn to adapt to this new world and new people. However, with the Horde and Alliance champions at his heel, how will he escape death?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Fall of the Lich King**

High atop the frigid, jagged spire of Icecrown stood the champions of the Alliance and Horde. Tirion Fordring raised the Ashbringer high and pointed the shining blade at the Lich King. Frostmourne lay shattered at Arthas' feet and countless souls were pouring out of the broken sword.

"NO MORE ARTHAS! No more lives will be consumed by your hatred!" The paladin roared triumphantly as the heroes advanced. Arthas felt the souls angrily assail him as he levitated off the ground and spun in a circle.

However, one soul in particular flew inside of him. It was his own soul; and for the first time in many years he felt cold. The prince's sanity and perception began to come back to him as his life flashed before his eyes. He relived every mistake he had made that brought about this tragedy he called his life.

Time seemed to all but stop as he glanced around at the mighty heroes surrounding him. Many orcs, tauren, and blood elves were prevalent…but he couldn't help but notice the faces of his fellow human paladins and the Forsaken who were undoubtedly once humans of Lordaeron. Tirion's eyes shined with furious might as cold sweat covered his body.

'_Am I going to die?' _he asked himself as everything continued to move in slow motion. Arthas actually felt a sense of disbelief that this moment was real. _'Maybe I deserve this…for killing my father and my kingdom. But it can't end like this!'_

Many spells and weapons flew towards him in a final blow. Time sped up again as Arthas felt every single attack hit him relentlessly until finally a devastating slash from the Ashbringer brought him to the ground. His helmet flew off his head and smashed on the ground at the base of his throne. Arthas rolled over and felt his power draining rapidly as his runic magic receded.

Soon his eyes reverted back to their original green and he felt as if he was moments away from true death. The assault ceased momentarily as the champions slowly advanced. Tirion walked closer and stood over the hunched Arthas who coughed up blood. The paladin raised the Ashbringer one last time high over his head, "Now, the Lich King falls. This is for the tens of thousands of innocent lives you destroyed!"

Arthas was bleeding profusely and he could barely make out the blur of Tirion swinging the shining sword down on him. Everybody gasped in disbelief as Arthas leapt up and grabbed Tirion's wrists squeezing as hard as possible. The paladin barely had time to react before Arthas kneed him in the abdomen and head butted his helmet. This caused even more blood to pour down the fallen Lich King's face as he savagely tossed Tirion to the ground.

The paladin quickly leapt to his feet and charged Arthas only to find that the prince was holding the hilt of his shattered rune blade. Arthas was trembling and panting as he rapidly scanned the champions who raised their weapons against him once more.

"You cannot win, Arthas! Frostmourne is broken, and your power is gone!" Tirion exclaimed angrily as he advanced slowly.

The prince quickly noticed a rather peculiar sight. Many Val'kyr were circling high overhead staring at him. He no longer had control over them, but nevertheless, he was desperate enough to find out.

Arthas slowly backed away as he swung his broken sword back and forth to keep anyone from getting too close. "There's nowhere left to go, Arthas…" a female voice sounded. The prince quickly took notice of Sylvanas who had her bow aimed at him. Behind her stood King Varian Wrynn, Jaina, Darion, Muradin, Saurfang, and Thrall.

Sylvanas didn't waste any time as she released an arrow straight for Arthas' head. Against all odds he managed to dodge it. The banshee queen huffed in irritation as she drew another arrow. "Wait, don't shoot yet…Arthas, I never thought I would see your face again," Jaina spoke up as tears flowed down freely.

He coyly glanced up at the Val'kyr again who seemed to be getting closer before turning his gaze behind him. He looked down towards the very ledge of Icecrown Citadel and thought hard for a moment. Tirion noticed the expression on his face and growled, "Only a coward would take his own life, Arthas!"

"Are you so petty that you would deny me your death by my hands?!" Sylvanas hissed venomously as she readied an arrow and drew her bow.

"Wait, stop! Arthas is defeated! He's no longer the Lich King, he should be brought before a trial!" Jaina interjected as she blocked Sylvanas from firing her arrow. The Banshee Queen sent a disgusted glare towards her, "You will not deny me this!"

'_I need to stall…something to distract them just for a few more moments.' _Arthas thought desperately as he slyly examined the progress of the encroaching Val'kyr.

"I'm sorry…" was all Arthas could say as he gazed at the saddened expressions of his old comrades and the champions behind them.

Everybody's jaw dropped when they heard this. Even Sylvanas dropped her bow in disbelief, "W-what did you just say?! You mock us even in your final breaths?!" The Banshee Queen got a lot of nods of approval from many of the champions present.

Thrall frowned as he looked at the sobbing Jaina. She began to walk closer towards Arthas with her arms outstretched as if she wanted to hug him, but was quickly pulled back by Darion and King Wrynn.

"You truly are a wicked man, Arthas…" was all Tirion could say as he shook his head in disgust.

The voice of Arthas' father soon sounded behind everybody, "You must answer for your crimes, my son…this cursed existence you live will never bring you peace."

"I don't want peace…I want revenge! Everything I have done will not be in vain! Val'kyr!" Arthas roared defiantly as he turned and dove off the side of Icecrown Citadel. Everybody could barely believe it as they rushed to the edge only in time to see dozens of Val'kyr fly up from beneath them and carry Arthas away with his shattered blade in hand.

"NO! SOMEBODY STOP HIM!" Tirion screamed in fury as he glanced over at Sylvanas. She quickly drew her bow and fired a barrage of arrows at Arthas. Unfortunately for her, many of the Val'kyr shielded him from the attacks and before long Arthas was out of sight.

The prince was extremely thankful that the Val'kyr were indeed loyal to him. Though he found it slightly unusual since he was not the Lich King anymore. He felt life draining from him as his vision blurred again. He lost too much blood. Maybe he was going to die anyways. That would be quite ironic.

Thankfully, the Val'kyr seemed to realize this as they briefly touched down and channeled waves of dark energy at him. Arthas felt a cold and terrible feeling as his wounds began healing from their magic. The Val'kyr then stood docile and stared at him blankly. He looked up at the nearest one which he quickly recognized as one of their leaders, "I'm surprised you got me out of there."

"Master…what happened to your crown?" the Val'kyr asked concerned as she examined Arthas' bloody face and silvery hair flowing in the frigid winds.

"It is gone…as is my power. Frostmourne is broken and Icecrown has fallen. I am no longer your master," he explained as he glanced at the broken rune blade gripped in his hand.

"You are the death god…you cannot die," the woman spoke assuredly. Arthas glanced away and sighed, "Maybe I should have…"

Just then, he heard a high pitched shriek and turned his gaze to the horizon where a winged, undead steed stood. He immediately recognized his horse, Invincible. The mighty horse proudly galloped towards him and let out another shrill of affection.

He looked at the undead horse for a moment and thought about the first time he got it. Invincible had always been loyal to him and had always loved him. His horse was his only friend left in the world. Arthas wasted no time mounting the horse for the first time in ages much to its delight.

Invincible flapped his wings excitedly awaiting Arthas' command. The prince looked over at his Val'kyr uncertainly and spoke up, "I no longer control you. You're all free to go…thanks for saving my life."

They traded confused looks with one another before one spoke up, "You are the Lich King. The Vrykul will always be loyal to you. King Ymiron himself called you a god. We shall resurrect him and the others to deliver swift retribution to these southern invaders!"

"Northrend is no longer yours…the Alliance and Horde cover every corner of this continent now. Azeroth holds no place for your kind anymore," Arthas said callously.

The Val'kyr leader knelt before him, "We are unworthy to be your servants my king. We failed to kill your enemies and now they have overwhelmed your realm. May I offer my life as tribute for your forgiveness?"

'_Sometimes I forget how fanatical these northern people are.' _Arthas thought slightly bewildered.

For some reason, Arthas felt extreme humility at this moment. He had just lost everything except for his own life. Yet these minions he carelessly moved around like pawns still supported him. It almost made him feel guilty about it. None of this would have happened if he had valued his minions more. If he hadn't used Darion as bait, then Tirion wouldn't have gotten the Ashbringer and he still would have been the Lich King.

"No…you have nothing to apologize to me for. I am not your god and I am not worthy of anything anymore. There is nothing left in this world for me…so I will leave it behind," Arthas replied distantly. He knew it was the truth. After what he had done, there was no place on Azeroth where he could go.

What possible existence could he hope for now? Was his hollow life even truly worth living anymore? Though at that moment an interesting idea crossed his mind, _'This never would have happened if it hadn't been for Mal'Ganis and his foul kind. Surely he must have been serving a higher master that brought about the creation of the undead. Perhaps I can devote myself to hunting them…the burning legion.'_

The Val'kyr were dead silent as they stared at him intensely. After a brief awkward silence, the leader spoke, "Wherever you go master, we shall follow you to the end. It is all we have left."

Arthas smiled for the first time in a long time as he looked over the undead Vyrkul women, "Then let us leave Northrend behind. We shall return one day, but until that time, I will seek refuge in a new world…Outland."

Without another word, Arthas took off on his winged steed. The flight of Val'kyr behind him soon caught up and before long Arthas was fast on his way to the Dark Portal.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile back at Icecrown, a frustrated assembly of heroes stood around Tirion Fordring and the leaders of the assault discussing what to do. "This is outrageous…how could you have let him escape?!" Sylvanas demanded furiously at Tirion.

One of the champions, an orc warrior, answered her, "The Lich King was very elusive when we attempted to deliver a final blow. He was gravely injured, but continued to resist even after Frostmourne was broken. When you arrived Dark Lady, we simply assumed you were going to kill him yourself."

She sent an icy glare towards the orc before looking at Thrall, "Why didn't you do anything warchief?!"

Thrall sighed heavily as he glanced at the Banshee Queen, "Jaina wanted to speak to him and it was as she said…Arthas was no longer in a position to harm any of us."

"Had it been my place, I would have gladly cut off his head and sent his body off the tower," Saurfang chimed in angrily.

Varian Wrynn looked around at several of the champions, "Several of you, mount up and track him down…he couldn't have gotten far."

Several horde champions also decided to follow suit as they noticed many of the alliance champions leaving.

"Darion," Tirion cut in as he turned his attention to the death knight leader, "we saw his powers fade when the crown came off his head, yet for some reason Arthas still commanded the Val'kyr. Do you have any idea as to why?"

The death knight glanced over at the lich king's crown on the ground before sighing, "It makes me think about when the knights of the Ebon Blade broke free of his control. He didn't directly control our minds, but his whispers echoed in our heads. Like a subconscious feeling of obligation. Perhaps the Val'kyr were not controlled the same way as death knights."

Muradin interjected with a nod, "Aye, there was a village in Storm Peaks where they willingly became undead…even the regular Vrykul seemed to have some kind of reverence for him."

"I believe I heard one of them refer to him as a death god in Utgarde keep several months back," a night elf druid interjected.

"Will all of you shut up! I don't care about the reason behind it…we need to go after him now!" Sylvanas demanded as she paced.

Varian Wyrnn sent her a disapproving shrug, "I've already sent trackers after him. He's no longer the lich king, so it's not like there's anywhere he can really hide. He'll eventually be brought to justice once somebody finds him."

"I must be the one to bring him to justice!" she shot back venomously.

Jaina who had been quiet this whole time sobbed sadly as she continued staring into the horizon where Arthas had escaped.

The spirit of Arthas' father soon caught everybody's attention, "Without its masters command, the restless scourge would become an even greater threat to Azeroth. Balance must be preserved. There must always be a lich king."

With that the spirit dissipated leaving the heroes in silent confusion as they traded uncertain glances. Tirion walked over and picked up the crown and gazed deeply upon it, "The weight of such a burden…it must be mine, for there is no other.."

"Tirion! You hold a grim destiny in your hands brother, but it is not your own."

"Bolvar?!" the paladin said unbelievingly, "by all that is holy…"

"The dragon's flame sealed my fate. The world of the living can no longer comfort me. Place the crown upon my head. Forever more, I shall be the jailor of the damned," Bolvar spoke assuredly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After a long week of travel, Arthas and his company of Val'kyr had finally arrived at the Dark Portal. He was quickly surprised to see a wide assortment of guards covering the entrance. _'Damn, there's no way I'm going to slip by them without alerting the entire world that I am going to Outland. I need a distraction…something to get me inside.'_

Currently, his Val'kyr perched high atop one of the nearby cliffs keeping a low profile while he surveyed the area. It had been a long time since he had done this kind of gritty grunt work. Part of him almost enjoyed it since it brought him brief moments of joy from his past. Though that was quickly replaced with anger and despair whenever he thought about his old friends and family.

He dismounted Invincible and quietly crept closer towards the portal to get an idea of the guard layout. Many hours passed as he watched for patterns. _'It would probably be best to wait for nightfall. They shift every four hours.' _A cold tickle caused his exposed neck to twitch. There was a blade at his throat. Wasting no time he immediately shot up and spun around to disarm his would be assassin.

It was a blood elf rogue. He quickly kicked the rogue to the ground and drew his broken sword, "So some of you finally caught up to me?"

"You didn't honestly think you could outrun the horde?" another voice sounded. Arthas let out a heavy sigh as he turned his attention to a large band of the horde champions from before. There was roughly a dozen of them.

The blood elf rogue jumped to his feet and made a swift jab for Arthas, but only met with a powerful spiked bracer backhanding him to the ground. The former Lich King gripped his broken blade tighter as the horde circled around him.

He immediately recognized one as a death knight who was wielding a very menacing axe. He raised his brow curiously at the orc, "I'm surprised Tirion would allow you to create something so similar to Frostmourne."

The orc laughed at Arthas' remark, "Like I care what some human paladin thinks…Darion is the only one of your kind I actually respect."

"Look at you…would be wielder of souls. Does your axe have a name death knight?" Arthas chuckled mockingly.

The death knight growled, "Shadowmourne…and I have come to feed it your soul!"

"Wait, Raze, the warchief ordered us to capture him…not kill him," a troll warrior cut in calmly.

Raze sent him a nasty glare, "To what end?! I don't care for all the jaw-boning nonsense anyways. Whether he dies now or later…he's still going to die! It might as well be by my hand!"

A forsaken mage shook his head in disapproval, "The dark lady has promised punishment to anyone who steals the glory of his death away from her."

An female troll shaman huffed in irritation, "Why should we listen to her mon?! She does not outrank da warchief!"

The blood elf rogue who Arthas initially disarmed, laughed, "I agree with Raze…he's going to die eventually. We might as well get the glory for ourselves. I mean we did all of the damn work in defeating him!"

Arthas immediately saw the opportunity to sabotage their unity. "I imagine your leaders would take all the credit for themselves. I mean after all…Tirion was helpless most of the fight anyways. Sylvanas wasn't even there until after you had already beaten me. Why should their names be immortalized and not yours?" Arthas added coyly.

This caused the horde champions to eye him suspiciously. "He's right! Where was the war chief or the dark lady when we were fighting him!? Where were they when we advanced through the citadel?! The glory is rightfully ours!" Raze roared.

An orc warlock sent a sharp glare towards Raze as she began to channel fire in her hands, "I will not allow you to go against the warchief's wishes. Thrall is more honorable than that!"

"Watch your tone, woman…" Raze hissed venomously.

The forsaken mage from earlier backed her up as he raised his staff against Raze, "The Dark Lady deserves the kill. You would dare to defy her?"

"HA! What's that stupid undead elf bitch going to do to me?! Kill me?! HAHAHA!" Raze cackled.

Arthas began to laugh as well causing everybody to turn their attention back towards him. "Why would he take orders from a Forsaken? Didn't you all betray the horde at the Wrathgate?"

This caused Raze to nod in approval, "The human is right…you and your dark lady are in no position to make demands of me!"

One of the Tauren druids instantly saw where this scene was going and jumped between the two, "Calm yourselves…I will not allow horde champions to fight amongst each other."

"Sarkon, don't get in my way…" Raze said threateningly as he gripped Shadowmourne tighter.

"Stop it all of you! Can't you see, that the human is just trying to turn us against each other? Only a simple minded fool could fall for something as simple as this…" A blood elf priest interrupted. Her arrogant and condescending tone caused some of the others to send her nasty stares.

A tauren warrior immediately backed up Raze as he growled menacingly at the woman, "I dislike your arrogance, elf! Raze led us to victory time and time again! You have no place to judge our commander!"

"They're right," the blood elf rogue agreed as he stepped in front of the priest, "you have no place to talk down to anybody here."

Sarkon sighed, "I fear this recent campaign has turned many of you bitter. We did not survive Naxxramas, Ulduar, and Icecrown together just for all of you to fall apart now. I believe we can compromise here. Bring the human back to Orgrimmar where the war chief can commemorate our accomplishments and the leaders can execute him."

"Hey, Raze, I remember you now. You were Darion's little side kick back at Acherus were you not? Tell me…what happens once I'm dead? What will you do next?" Arthas asked.

This caught everybody's attention again. Raze eyed him curiously, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what's a death knight like yourself going to do without a purpose? I myself have contemplated on what I could possibly do if I managed to escape," Arthas continued.

Raze snorted, "Obviously, I will continue to battle the alliance for the horde."

"Really? So you're nothing more than a tool for your war chief then? Your life will be no different than when you served Darion and myself. You will endure for generations as your friends age and die…you will never know peace, happiness, or comfort. Eventually, you will go mad with grief and end up like me…" Arthas explained.

This caused many of the champions to trade strange glances with one another. Raze himself seemed bewildered by this revelation. He had never really thought about the future until just now. It's not like a death knight could really fit into regular society. The commoners in Orgimmar were already suspicious and fearful of death knights…his life could never be what it once was.

"NOOOOO! I will never end up like you, human!" Raze roared defiantly as he charged Arthas with Shadowmourne in hand. Arthas timed his reaction just right and barely managed to deflect an overhead cleave from the axe with his broken sword.

Raze continued to flurry the weapon angrily in an attempt to hit Arthas, but unfortunately, he soon found himself being pinned down by magic from several of his allies.

"STOP IT! Release me! I will kill him!" Raze howled as he slowly continued towards Arthas despite the magical chains and resistance put on him.

"Don't listen to him brudduh, you are an honorable commander. Da horde recognizes strength mon." A troll intervened in hopes of calming him down.

The blood elf priest narrowed her gaze at the orc death knight and shook her head in disgust, "You're pathetic for actually letting him get to you…he doesn't even have any power anymore and he's still manipulating you."

Raze was finally stopped in his tracks when a blood elf paladin stunned him. She then kicked the orc back before turning around to face Arthas, "Your venomous voice whispers foul poison. Don't mistake my inaction for stupidity. I can see right through your little scheme, human…mark my words, you won't be alive for very long once we get to Orgrimmar!"

"I didn't realize elves could become paladins…unless you did it unnaturally. You must be one of those blood knights," Arthas taunted. Her threat seemed to ring ineffective against him as he had a disinterested look on his face.

She grimaced, "We CAN become paladins! Through the restored sunwell and Mu'ru's magic. I'm more of a paladin than you ever were!"

"Is that so? I'm surprised you even knew I was a paladin. Normally you elves were too busy frolicking in the woods while Lordaeron was being plagued," Arthas stated. He was simply trying to provoke her now.

"Everybody in Quel'thelas knows who you are…the traitor prince of Lordaeron who killed his father…the only good king you humans had." she shot back.

Raze who had just now recovered broke free from his restraints, "How dare you stun me, Valerica! Know your place! He is mine!"

She turned back and looked at the orc begrudgingly, "You're the one who's overstepping his place!"

"ENOUGH! This arguing ends now!" Sarkon shouted as he stomped his heavy hoofed foot on the ground.

Everybody went silent as they turned their attention towards him. "I never thought I'd see the day where you would all forsake discipline and logic. The human is coming with us to Orgimmar alive…does everybody understand?!" the Tauren druid demanded as he paced heavily.

As everybody's attention was on Sarkon, Arthas saw the perfect opportunity to act and grabbed Valerica from behind and pressed his broken blade against her throat. She tried to resist, but immediately felt a heavy weight keeping her legs from moving.

"Make one move and she dies!" Arthas laughed as he pressed the blade even tighter causing a small amount of blood to trickle down her throat. This change of pace caught everybody off guard as Arthas backed away slowly.

"Drop your weapons or I'll kill your friend…" Arthas said again; this time his voice was much more serious.

Valerica tried to cast a defensive spell, but found it ineffective as Arthas pressed the blade even closer, "You would be dead before that shield could even form."

She reluctantly gave up on that idea.

Many of the champions slowly lowered their arms. Everybody except for Raze that is. The orc simply stepped closer without a care in the world, "Go ahead and kill the stupid bitch. Not like I care anyways."

Arthas let out a loud, piercing whistle, and soon the horde found themselves surrounded by Val'kyr. Arthas backed away closer towards the ledge where Invincible was already waiting for him. The blood elf paladin in his grip seemed furious by the situation, "You're a damned snake! How did an elusive coward like you ever become the Lich King?! I hope you know that justice will be delivered! Without your power, there's only so long you can keep us at bay."

"You must feel so proud and powerful threatening me while you're my hostage…" Arthas stated sarcastically.

She cracked a fist and hissed, "I should have killed you back in Icecrown…you were defenseless."

"Like you are right now? Or perhaps Zul'Drak when I decided to spare your life?" he responded.

This simply caused her to get even more flustered.

"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE BY MY HAND, LICH KING!" Raze roared as he charged. The death knight immediately felt a strong force pull him back as he was ripped back to his companions' location. He quickly turned to the blood elf priest and recognized she was responsible.

She was quick to voice her disapproval, "If you attack he'll kill my sister! If that happens, then I'm going to kill you!"

"ARGH!" Raze howled as he tried to charge again, but this time Sarkon rooted him with his nature magic. The Druid made sure to channel excess magic to prevent him from moving.

Many of the other champions anxiously watched the circling Val'kyr expecting an attack at any moment.

"So, Valerica…should I let you live this time?" Arthas asked her coolly.

She bit her lip in frustration. The woman did not like this helpless feeling. How could Arthas still put her in this position even without his power?

Arthas quickly sidestepped as several arrows whizzed past his face. The alliance champions had finally arrived and were quick to advance. Sarkon looked over at them and yelled, "Wait! Stop! He has a hostage!"

"Forward, champions! The king demands Arthas be brought to Stormwind immediately!" A human paladin ordered.

A tauren warrior got up and blocked the alliance who were approaching Arthas, "Wait, just a minute! Arthas has one of our friends hostage. There are Val'kyr all over this place…just wait for a minute."

The human paladin looked closely and saw Arthas holding the blood elf woman, "This doesn't require tact…Arthas cannot be allowed to escape no matter what the reason."

Raze was channeling his full runic power in an attempt to break out of Sarkon's roots, "NO! HE'S MINE! GO AWAY ALLIANCE DOGS!"

"Please, just wait another minute…" the Tauren pleaded again. This time the paladin nodded his head, "Very well, everybody hold your position and wait!"

Valerica, was still holding her sword Quel'delar, and saw an opportunity to break free. She quickly head butted Arthas with the back of her helmet while he was distracted and ducked back narrowly missing Frostmourne. She spun around and attempted to behead him, but was shocked when he grabbed her wrist mid swing. She grimaced painfully as he squeezed it tightly.

This caused her to drop her blade. Arthas leaned in closer and whispered, "Thanks for saving my life, Valerica. You were a 'pretty' good hostage. Here's your reward."

She soon found his deathly cold lips meeting her own. This caused widespread confusion amongst all of the champions present. The paladin herself could not even believe what was happening until Arthas pushed her to the ground and mounted Invincible. A barrage of arrows and spells flew towards him, but he dodged them all as weaved around the sky. His Val'kyr followed behind in a defensive position blocking all missiles from their master. The men guarding the Dark Portal looked horrified when Arthas and his flight of Val'kyr flew overhead and into the portal.

Meanwhile, back with the champions, everybody was surrounding Valerica. Raze paced with fury as he eyed her suspiciously, "You dropped your guard and brought about this whole mess! I almost had him!"

"Thanks to you, Raze, now we have to compete with the alliance to capture him…" Sarkon sighed annoyed. The human paladin, who was clearly their leader walked over towards Sarkon, "What happened exactly? How did she become a hostage? And…did he just kiss her?!"

Sarkon shrugged, "You're not really catching us at our best moment, human…we couldn't decided whether to capture or kill him and this whole mess broke out."

"It figures the horde would try to pull a fast one on us," A night elf priest interrupted. She clearly didn't like them.

Sarkon shook his head, "I am not in the mood to trade insults today…"

"Did Arthas really kiss her? Why did he do that?" an inquisitive draenei joined in.

The tauren druid didn't even bother responding as he looked away annoyed.

"Valerica! What on Azeroth did he say to you?!" the blood elf priest demanded worriedly.

Valerica was still in complete shock as she felt her lips in disbelief. _'The Lich King just kissed me…'_

"If it hadn't been for all of you getting in my way, he would have already been dead!" Raze shot back furiously.

The orc warlock shook her head, "I clearly remember him easily blocking your attack…"

The forsaken mage shook his head in disbelief, "Arthas was always a genius tactician in his youth…I served under him when I was still alive ten years ago. Even without his power, he's unpredictable…that is why we should have brought him before the dark lady."

"I have heard enough about your damned 'Dark Lady!' You have constantly sabotaged the horde, undead…first at the wrath gate and now here!" Raze stated angrily.

"I find that ironic coming from a death knight. An orc death knight who disobeys his warchief at that," the forsaken mage noted.

It seemed full scale conflict was about to break out until Valerica stood up, "Just shut up!"

Dead silence followed her shout causing many to bite their tongues. "Just stop arguing over nothing…we all started this together…alliance and horde. We might as well finish it together. Let' go hunt him down and finish the job!"

The human paladin leader nodded his head in approval, "Well said, you all fought well during the battle of Icecrown. We all deserve to see this through to the end."

"So we are going to kill him then?" Sarkon sighed again.

"As long as I can make the killing blow! Let's go hunting! Lok'tar Ogar!" Raze roared.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed this. This was my take on what should have happened at the end of Wrath. The way Arthas died at the end of Wrath just pissed me off. He was always so good at coming out on top back in WC3...so I wanted to do an alternate universe where he gets away and does his own thing. I tried to write this in a way to where all the WOTLK stuff still happened, except for him getting killed.

Now that he's in Outland, things are bound to get interesting. I hope you all enjoyed the interaction between him and the champions. How will they fare when they chase after him? Let me know if you like it…next chapter: Reforging Frostmourne!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Battle That Never Ends**

The reception waiting on the other side of the Dark Portal was not what Arthas expected. The portal was much larger on Outland's side and had two small outposts on either side. One was obviously the alliance and the other was horde. Oddly enough however, there was nobody manning them. Fortune seemed to be on his side today as he and his small army of Val'kyr poured through the portal. Arthas made sure to get low and fast to distance himself as far as possible from it. Although part of him feared that he would soon be number one on Outland's most wanted list.

Many hours passed as they continued flying near the crumbling edges of Hellfire Peninsula. The former lich king found it so unusual how one could literally fall of the world here if they weren't careful. Part of him wished he had time to explore and admire the scenery, but unfortunately that would not be possible. He refused to stop flying until he could come up with a viable plan on what to do. If he was going to evade the horde and alliance champions, then he would need someplace to lay low for a while. Arthas gave it some deep thought as he surveyed the landscape warily in search of anything remotely inconspicuous. Fortune seemed to be in his favor as he touched down near a small cave entrance in Terokkar Forest.

"Val'kyr, search the cave and remove any occupants. You're going to lay low and wait here for a little while until I can come up with a permanent solution," Arthas ordered as he pointed towards the cave entrance. The winged scourge women wasted no time flying inside.

Arthas looked towards their leader, "Olrun, make sure nobody leaves the cave until I get back…the champions are going to be chasing after me and you will all be what they are looking for."

"Master, we could kill them for you. Just give us the order," she replied hopefully.

The man shook his head, "No, it wouldn't even matter if you did kill them. More would undoubtedly come for me until eventually you would all die and I would be left defenseless. I wish for you to remain safe until I regain some of my power."

"Of course, master…but what of your safety? With Frostmourne broken, you will need us to ward off attackers," Olrun responded.

The former lich king nodded his head, "Yes, but that is why I intend to reforge Frostmourne. Especially if there is a copycat axe version of it out there wielded by one of my would be killers."

"Where will you go, master?" Olrun asked inquisitively. She seemed greatly concerned by Arthas' reckless suggestion to go on alone. If Arthas could have seen this a few weeks ago he would not have believed it. In only a few short days he completely changed his relationship with the Val'kyr.

He was still their master, but for some reason he felt much more concerned about them. As for them, the winged women seemed to be overly zealous lately. Many were undoubtedly angry about having to abandon Northrend. Nevertheless, their fanatical loyalty towards Arthas was causing them to become overprotective out of fear. What did they fear? Did they fear losing him? The thought seemed almost alien to him.

Drifting back from his inner thoughts, he flashed a small smile, "I am going to a city or town where I can get a map of this world. Do not concern yourselves over my safety. Watch Invincible and keep a low profile in this cave. Wait for my return. Also, take this runestone…it is linked to one of mine. It will glow if I am in trouble."

Olrun seemed a bit unsure about this suggestion but ultimately bowed her head in respect, "As you wish master…we will prepare a defensive position and await your return. Shall we also kill any locals on sight?"

The prince thought for a moment, "Only if they see you…"

Without another word, Arthas turned to leave with his broken blade in hand. He made it a considerable distance away on foot before sheathing his broken sword. The man let out a deep sigh as he made his way onto a small, secluded road.

After a while he decided to pull up his hood. He hadn't done this in many years since the day he killed his father. Part of him worried that somebody would recognize his face. Although right now, his armor was probably a heavy contrast to the forest around him. Nevertheless, Arthas knew that the champions would be expecting him to go somewhere big with his Val'kyr.

As long as they were looking for them, then he would be much less conspicuous to regular people and harder to track. Though that made Arthas wonder about the locals. He pondered this to pass the time as he continued on his way.

As the hours passed, Arthas constantly found his mind wandering back to near death experience he had at Icecrown Citadel. He was truly moments from death several different times that day; yet against all odds, he fought back and survived.

Now he was in Outland, a strange and alien world that he had a hard time understanding. Arthas had always heard of this place from others…especially mages and walocks, but he never really seemed to give it much thought. It was literally another world to him.

Though part of him deeply enjoyed that part about it. Maybe here the people wouldn't know who he was. It was a comforting thought that perhaps he could blend in to a regular city like a normal person and find a few moments of comfort.

Of course, Arthas knew that he was not going to get the chance with the small task force hunting him down. There was no telling how much progress they could have already made. Many of them were undoubtedly veterans of war and probably knew Outland better than he did. '_I wonder if they will expect me to go into a city?_' Arthas wondered as he began to tune out the world around him.

As he continued walking, he barely noticed a small group of travelers intersect his path from another road at the intersection. He accidentally knocked one of them over in his absentmindedness causing them to all yell at him.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" one shouted annoyed.

"Aren't you going to apologize, you jerk?" another added.

Arthas turned his attention back to reality and noticed a trio of draenei girls, probably no older than adolescents he guessed. The one he knocked over by accident was dressed very elaborately as if she was some kind of priestess. The others appeared to be guards or handmaidens from what he could surmise.

"Uh…sorry," was all Arthas could say before glancing at the signs. He did not understand the language on it and sighed as he looked over each pathway at the intersection wondering where to go.

"Sorry?! Don't you know who this is?! This is the daughter of High Priestess Ishanah!" One of the others boasted causing Arthas to casually cast a glance in their direction.

"Who?" was all he said as he eyed the three of them more closely.

"Please, don't listen to them…I should have watched where I was going. Hi, my name is Ishka," the finely dressed one spoke regal and polite.

Arthas was rather surprised by her attitude compared to the others. For some reason he imagined she was going to be some kind of spoiled brat. The prince pulled his hood back to show his face testing whether or not they would recognize him. Much to his relief, they did not.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…I thought you were a blood elf," one of the handmaiden guards apologized as she bowed her head.

This caused the man to raise a brow, "Why would you think that?"

"He's too brutish to be an elf. Looks human to me…see the ears," the other handmaiden added.

"His eyes are green…but they don't really have that deep glowing look to them," one of the girls noted.

"So you are a human then right? What brings you here? We don't see very many of your kind in Outland anymore. Not since the days of Illidan when the alliance had a strong presence here," Ishka stated.

"Yes, I am human…" was all Arthas said not really sure how the conversation ended up here.

Ishka eyed him up and down curiously, "You're kind of big for a human…"

Arthas didn't even bother responding as he simply stared at them apathetically. An awkward silence passed as they nervously traded glances with one another.

"Lady Ishka, be careful. He's clearly some kind of warrior judging by the way he's dressed. Looks like a brutish barbarian to me…" the other handmaiden guard noted.

"Hey what happened to your face? How did you get that scar on your nose? Did you lose a fight?" one of the girls laughed despite the other's nervousness.

Arthas found their attitudes rather annoying, "I can't believe I'm getting insulted by teenage goat girls…"

"Hey! Don't call us that! We don't go around calling you humans, apes!" one of them shot back defensively.

The prince simply laughed, "Of course…I didn't mean anything by it anyways. It's just, I've never really seen Draenei kids before."

"We are not kids! I'm seventeen years old I'll have you know, and so are they!" the other guard announced.

"Right…well, who exactly is this High Priestess Ishanah you were just talking about?" Arthas changed the subject.

Ishka was the first to speak, "My mother is the high priestess of the Aldor. We worship the Naaru and stay true to the path of the light."

"What are the Naaru?" Arthas asked confused. He vaguely knew what they were, but for some reason he actually liked this girl enough to hear her explain it to him.

She smiled at his question, "Oh, so you didn't know? Well, they are beings of pure light that guide and protect us. They are very old and wise and we would be lost without them. In fact, if you're really curious, you could come meet one with us. My friends and I were just on our way back to Shattrah."

"Oh, which way is that?" Arthas asked as he glanced back to the different pathways.

"You're obviously not from these parts, but how did you end up here without any clue as to where you are going?" one of the others asked, but this time much more empathetically.

Arthas shook his head, "I'm from Azeroth…but I decided to come here for a little while."

Ishka looked towards her friends beaming with excitement, "Forgive my friends for being so rude. We didn't realize you were a tourist. No, you're obviously a pilgrim right? We don't get many visitors from Azeroth except big important military types. Usually they arrive by portal or get flown in. Since you're from Azeroth, maybe you could tell us about it?"

Their eyes all lit up with excited anticipation. Arthas simply examined them back and forth with a surprised glance. "Tourist? Pilgrim?" he questioned bewildered.

One of the girls nodded, "Yeah, you're totally right, Ishka, he must be on a pilgrimage or something. You should definitely come with us to Shattrah. It's a beautiful city!"

"Ummm…" the man was unsure of what to do.

"By the way, I'm Kaela and this is my cousin Maelina," one of the other two girls said warmly. Arthas was still completely shocked by their change in attitude from just a minute ago.

He awkwardly stared at them for a moment, "I don't really have any money though…I just wanted to get a map and go on my way."

Maelina looked appalled by his statement, "No, we can't just let you go wandering around Outland without a clue in the world. Don't worry about all of that. I'm sure you'd be more than welcome to stay at Aldor Rise."

Ishka nodded her head in approval, "Yeah, my mother likes visitors and I'm sure she'd be more than willing to hook you up haha. Plus, then you could meet, A'dal. Many visitors come to speak to him for some reason or another. I bet you'd really enjoy it."

It had been a very long time since Arthas had encountered people this hospitable. These draenei teenagers were far nicer than he originally assumed. Though that also made him uncomfortable. Could he trust them? They clearly knew of the alliance and horde…it wouldn't take long for somebody to rat him out to his hunters.

Arthas looked away sadly, "I appreciate your offer, but I must walk my own path alone. I don't want you kids to end up regretting your kindness towards me."

They all looked confused by his remark. Ishka shook her head sadly, "Nobody should have to be alone. We draenei believe in helping others in need. The light works in mysterious ways…I think we were meant to cross paths."

Kaera nodded her head in approval, "Yeah, you seemed like a jerk at first, but maybe that's just a human thing. We're not mad at you anymore; we promise."

"You don't understand…I'm dangerous. You kids don't want to get involved with me," Arthas explained.

Arthas was rather surprised when Ishka wrapped an arm around his and began to pull him, "C'mon, you are coming with us. I won't take no for an answer."

He could barely believe it as this girl excitedly drug him forward down an adjacent road. She flashed Arthas a cheerful smile, "Don't be so gloomy, human. You're going to love Shattrah!"

Maelina and Kaera were quick to tread behind the two of them as they flanked either side. They were all staring at Arthas intently as the four of them silently wandered down the road.

"So…are you from Stormwind? I've always wanted to visit it," Maelina broke the silence as she flashed Arthas a grin.

The prince shook his head, "No…I haven't been there in over decade if not longer. I am from Lordaeron…at least what used to be Lordaeron."

They all eyed him curiously. "What is Lordaeron? I've never heard of that place," Kaera asked.

Ishka frowned at this as a revelation came to her, "Your home was destroyed wasn't it?"

Arthas nodded his head, "Yeah…the undead plagued it for many years. Now it's nothing more than a barren wasteland infested with undead."

'_Ruled by the very person I turned into a shadow of myself…_' Arthas' mind trailed off at the thought of Sylvanas. He always provoked her when he was the Lich King out of spite. She almost killed him before he left for Northrend and would have had it not been for Kel'thuzad.

These thoughts were deeply troubling to him for some unknown reason. Ever since Ner'zhul's crown came off his head, Arthas felt different. Sure, he no longer possessed the orc's lingering presence within his mind, but it was something more. He almost felt as if he had emotions again…though after so many years he couldn't remember what they felt like. Perhaps this is what shame and regret felt like.

'_If I have any regrets at all…it's for throwing away the lives of my loyal friends. Kel'thuzad, Anub-Arak, and who knows how many more._' Arthas thought distantly. _'Why do I feel more concerned for them than the people I knew in my old life?'_

Was he simply being analytical or was this him feeling shame and regret? Arthas was brought out of his thoughts by Kaera waving a hand in front of his face, "You okay?"

Maelina gritted her teeth at the man's saddened expression, "Those wicked fiends…undead are greatly hated by our kind. We can empathize with you there, human…by the way what is your name?"

This question caused them all to stare anxiously. Arthas thought for a moment, _'Is it really safe to use my real name? I mean they are teenagers…not like they can keep a secret. She did just say they hated undead. I don't think they would be too happy if they found out I was the Lich King. Do they even know about me here?'_

This internal conflict caused the girls to pester Arthas even further as they all poked him desperate for an answer. Finally, Arthas decided that there was really no point in hiding his name. Sooner or later they were going to find out who he was and join in with the mob that was after him.

"My name is Arthas…I used to be a paladin," he immediately expected them to cower and run at the mention of his name, but instead they seemed overjoyed.

"Arthas huh? What a cute name…so you were a paladin?! Then you should definitely go to see A'dal. Though if you don't mind me asking…do the paladins from your homeland wear such scary armor?"

Kaera inquired as she traced a hand over Arthas' flowing black cloak.

He chuckled at her question, "It's a personal preference. I like to intimidate my enemies in battle."

"I bet that armor would scare an orc!" Maelina noted causing the others to giggle.

Arthas shrugged, "Maybe…"

'_This armor is an orc's armor…Ner'zhul's, and it has heralded the death of thousands of orcs,' _Arthas thought to himself.

"Hey so do you fight a lot of orcs in the alliance? You must have killed a lot of them huh?" Ishka asked.

The man gave her a questioning glance, "I'm not really with the Alliance, but why do you ask?"

She sighed, "Well, I was just curious what you thought of them. We hate orcs…they've done nothing but destroy and ravage Draenor. Ner'zhul was the one that made Outland like this…he angered the elements. Though Gul'dan was the true monster with his Shadow Council."

"Gul'dan, the scourge of humanity my father once called him." Arthas thought aloud.

Ishka nodded her head, "You know of him? He was the leader of the orcish horde and the first to become a warlock. He dabbled in many dark magics and conspired with the burning legion."

'_I remember now…Gul'dan was Ner'zhul's apprentice.'_ Arthas' mind wandered. Where did that memory come from though. Just then, Arthas felt a chilling presence enter his mind. He recognized this presence and hadn't felt it since he wore his crown.

"**Arthas…it is good to see you are still alive. This new host, has imprisoned himself atop the Frozen Throne."** a dark voice echoed in Arthas' mind. He instantly recognized Ner'zhul's voice.

'_It's you!? How are you speaking to me? I'm all the way in Outland_,' Arthas replied.

"**Draenor? Listen…I don't have much time, human. That fool, Bolvar you tortured has imprisoned me and the undead into Icecrown. He is using the power of the Red Dragonflight to purge me from the frozen throne,"** Ner'zhul spoke more urgently.

'_Why should I care? I am no longer your pawn, master!_' Arthas replied bitterly.

"**You were never my pawn…you were my champion. Listen, Arthas, my spirit has been expelled from the crown. Soon I will fade away into Oblivion. Only a shred of my soul remains within you," **Ner'zhul explained.

'_Then that means, Bolvar is the Lich King now?! What the hell does that have to do with me?! Our souls are no longer linked, Frostmourne is broken, and I have no idea where the hell anything is on this world! Why are you bothering me now?_' Arthas looked down angrily.

"**Whatever you may have thought of me, human…it is irrelevant now. Soon I will slip away into nothingness. My final command of you is for you to destroy the burning legion. Whether or not you choose to obey, know that they are the ones who turned me into this." **Ner'zhul explained callously.

'_I don't care…ever since I was dethroned, I have been able to think clearly for the first time in years. I don't need you Ner'zhul. I will acquire my own power, and forge my own destiny! I will destroy the burning legion to avenge Lordaeron! Not because you demand it of me!_' Arthas yelled in his mind.

"**Hahahahaha, you're still as eager and defiant as ever. You will go far human…know that I always valued your life. You represent your kind well. I will offer you a head start on your mission. My memories along with the last of my shamanistic power are now yours. Become the weapon you were born to be!"**

Arthas felt an intense surge of power shoot throughout his body. This caused him to stop in his tracks and tremble, _'What is this?!' _

"**The elements will bend to your will. You now wield the powers of a shaman. Use it to wreak havoc against your foes. One last thing…the betrayer's body is buried in Shadowmoon. You will need allies to survive…and the Skull of Gul'dan rests with Illidan still." **as his final words came in a whisper, Arthas could feel his link to Ner'zhul completely sever. It almost felt as if a part of his soul was ripped from his body.

His sulking expression caused the Draenei girls to eye him sadly. "I am sorry, Arthas…I didn't realize this was a sensitive subject for you. Are you going to be okay?" Ishka apologized.

Arthas quickly regained his composure and continued to walk forward again. The girls quickly followed behind him and found their previous positions at his sides. For some reason Arthas felt a great emptiness gnawing at him, _'I always thought I'd be glad to see Ner'zhul die…I was wrong. What is this power he gave to me?'_

The prince thought about this for a moment as he closed his eyes. He hoped that things would become clearer with time.

"How much do you know about the burning legion?" Arthas asked interested as he glanced over at Ishka.

Kaera answered for her, "High Priestess Ishanah knows a lot about them. If you're interested in fighting them, she might welcome you into the Aldor."

"Yes, I wish to destroy them…" Arthas said distantly. He was furious at the thought of Ner'zhul dying. Part of him wondered why. The orc used him as a pawn in his many years as a death knight. Ner'zhul forced him to do many terrible things such as kill his father and desecrate Quel'thelas and the sunwell. However, for some reason once they fused souls…something changed. Arthas felt a deep empathy for the orc and understood his master's motives.

Looking back on it now, he couldn't even find a reason hate the orc. They had done many terrible things together…yet Arthas felt no remorse over them.

'_Why didn't I care about them? Jaina…Muradin…Uther…Sylvanas…father. I felt nothing for them. All I could remember was my master's whispers. Even now, I feel pity for the orc that forced me to destroy my kingdom, kill my father, and sacrifice my friends as pawns? Why?! He was a god damned monster! Yet in his final moments he rewarded me?! WHY!?_' Arthas reflected.

He gave it some more thought as he tried to recollect the events leading up to him becoming a death knight. '_Frostmourne was cursed after all…it consumed my soul and all I ever felt. I no longer cared about stopping the undead. Perhaps this apathy I feel is Ner'zhul's? These unconscious motives I possess must have been from him. Was that why I lusted for power and destruction? Was that why I enjoyed torturing others? Do I feel that way still?'_

This seemed to make the most sense to him. The reason he carelessly obeyed Ner'zhul, was because in a way, he was Ner'zhul and vice versa. Frostmourne ripped his soul from him and bound it to Ner'zhul's. Their soul link and eventual fusion was the cause of his actions.

He severed his humanity when he joined with the orc shaman. Yet, ever since his defeat at Icecrown, he was beginning to feel bad about some of the things he had done.

'_That must be what this strange feeling is…I am regaining parts of myself. But even still, I will never be the man I once was.' _Arthas finally concluded. This deep reflection had given him very good insight into the past few years. Part of it almost made him feel better.

Now he was in Outland with a new mindset and a new goal. One way or another, he was going to find a way to build a new life for himself. He did not like the idea of obeying Ner'zhul in death, but even still the orc's fragmented will clung to his own. Nevertheless, the burning legion deserved retribution.

He wasn't going to pursue it out of Ner'zhul's spite for revenge. It was about his own now. The burning legion was responsible for everything that had happened to him. At least that's what he was going to choose to believe. In a way in prevented him from accepting responsibility for what he had done as the Lich King. Although, Arthas would never admit that aloud or even to himself. These dark thoughts were pushed into the tightest corners of his mind.

"Hey, Arthas, why is your sword broken?" Ishka asked as she looked down at the jagged splintered edge of the broken sword.

"People tried to kill me before I left Azeroth…I was really surprised myself," he answered honestly.

Maelina chuckled, "It seems pretty dumb to keep a broken sword…plus what kind of paladin would wield a sword like that? It looks so creepy…"

"Like I said…I used to be a paladin. Those days are long gone. Now I'm just a man without much of a reason to wake up in the morning," Arthas responded.

Kaera reached for a handful of his silvery hair and began to twirl it, "You've got such pretty hair for a guy who never wakes up in the morning haha."

This comment caused the others to giggle and Arthas to eye her uncertainly.

"Don't worry, Arthas, Shattrah is a good city to start over for a lot of people. There are thousands of refugees there all with similar stories. Once you meet a few people, and make a few friends, it'll practically be home. Plus, you already know the most popular girls in the city!" Maelina added cheerfully.

The prince couldn't tell exactly, but it seemed they were trying to cheer him up. Ishka eyed him up and down with a serious look on her face, "Hey I have another question if you don't mind me asking. Why were people trying to kill you when you left? Are you in trouble with the law or something?"

This caused the prince to perk up alertly as if an ambush was imminent. He cautiously eyed the draenei for a moment before answering, "I told you kids I was dangerous. You sure you still want to hang out with me?"

"No, please don't take this the wrong way…I wasn't saying that I think you're a criminal. I just wanted to know if those people that tried to kill you were still after you," Ishka continued.

He nodded his head carelessly, "People have been trying to kill me since I was ten. Nobody has succeeded yet. If they do show up, I would rather you kids weren't involved. It's pretty personal."

Maelina sighed, "Would you please stop calling us kids? Draenei are official adults at sixteen just so you know."

"Age is just a number…and I call you kids because you haven't had to grow up yet. Try to avoid doing so as long as you can. I never got to have much of a childhood…" Arthas trailed off again.

Kaera giggled, "Then it's good we ran into you. We could all have fun with you."

'_What the hell is that supposed to mean?' _Arthas pondered as the girls began to chat in their native language. Arthas simply ignored it as he faced forward and imagined Shattrah.

From the way these girls talked about it, the city was clearly a marvel to behold. If he was lucky, he'd be able to slip in for a few days and educate himself more on Outland. Then when the time was right, he could sneak away back to his Val'kyr and find a better base of operations.

"Hey, Arthas, did you hear what I said?" Ishka asked drawing Arthas from his thoughts once again.

He shook his head, "No what?"

"I wanted to warn you ahead of time about the Scryers. They are all blood elves and are our rivals in the city. Be careful around them…they would just love to take advantage of a human."

"How so?" he asked truly curious as to what that implied.

Ishka frowned, "You know how they are…"

"No, I don't think I do…unless you're referring to their isolationism or condescending arrogance," Arthas responded casually.

Ishka traded an amused glance with Kaera, "Well that's probably true too, but it's not what I meant. The blood elves here are really two faced. Don't buy into their flattery or…advances. If they speak to you, then they clearly want something."

Arthas simply raised a brow, "I've seen my fair share of crazy elves…but what would they even want from somebody like me?"

"Well…for starters, you're kind of cute for a human," Ishka muttered under her breath causing the others to giggle.

"What?" Arthas asked not really sure if he heard her correctly.

"What she means to say is there are certain kinds of people among the Scryers that have this inert fascination with humans. I have no idea why…it must be some kind of political scheme since humans are usually involved in everything they can get their hands on," Kaera noted.

Arthas laughed at her statement, "Trust me, I don't want to go down that road…I've seen enough pscyho elf women for one lifetime."

Kaera raised a brow suggestively, "Oh? So you don't just go for human girls then?"

This completely blind sided him, "W-what?! No, I never said that…don't go assuming things now."

Maelina and Kaera traded amused glances at catching Arthas off guard.

"Just don't go near them…my mother can do a better job at explaining all this when we get there," Ishka changed the subject. She had a slight blush on her cheeks.

'_I can't wait…' _Arthas thought sarcastically. Although this caused some concern to broil in his mind, _'I can't be certain how many of those blood elves would recognize my name and face. That Valerica woman said everybody in Quel'thelas knew who I was…this might prove troublesome. I'll definitely have to avoid these Scryers then,_' Arthas thought to himself.

Maelina pat him on the back, "Stop being so gloomy, Arthas. If you don't I'll have to cheer you up the old fashioned Draenei way…"

The other girls eyed her curiously as a sinister grin crossed her lips.

"What do you mean by that?" Arthas asked not really sure if he wanted to know. Much to his disbelief, the girl leaned in and whispered in his ear, "You're kind of handsome for a human…real masculine and mysterious. I wonder what a girl like me could possibly do to cheer you up. Maybe a kiss…where do you want it?"

Her tongue licked his earlobe afterwards causing him to pull away defensively, "What are you doing?"

"Man…even after that you still have a straight face? You're going to be tougher to figure out than I thought," Maelina noted.

"Oh good…I thought you were serious," he said aloud causing the others to laugh at the girl.

She blushed with embarrassment, "Wait, now don't go assuming stuff…I was just messing with you. You are a stranger after all."

Arthas shook his head and laughed, "Maybe when you're older kid…"

"Hey stop calling me kid! I was just joking!" she yelled blushing with embarrassment.

"Looks like your plan backfired, Maelina…" Ishka laughed at her friend even harder.

'_Well…at least this walk will be entertaining,_' Arthas thought as they continued onward.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile, back with the Alliance and Horde, the champions quickly set up a small base at the entrance to the Dark Portal. Raze wanted to go chase Arthas down immediately, but the human paladin leader was quick to rein him in.

"Why must we wait!? The longer we wait, the longer he lives, the better chance he has to escape!" Raze rambled furiously pacing back and forth.

The human paladin sighed, "I sent word to the King and your warchief. The best thing to do at the moment is to hold this position and come up with a plan. Obviously, Arthas will try to lead us on a wild chase, and there is a chance he might slip back through the Dark Portal. We should discuss a plan before scattering to the wind."

Raze narrowed his gaze at the human, "Who put you in charge Alliance dog?!"

"I am a grand marshal in the Alliance. I am the highest ranking person here. Unless you're a High Warlord, an Overlord, or the Warchief then you do not have the right to challenge my battlefield command. You're lucky I am even agreeing to work with you. Had it not been for your contributions in Northrend, we would not even be speaking right now," the paladin responded annoyed.

Raze growled, "I wouldn't care if you were the King of Stormwind himself, I would never take orders from sparkling filth like you! In fact, once the Lich King is dead, I might just kill you Alliance dogs next!"

"You would be a fool to try! You're not the first death knight I've killed…or the first orc. Your people would have died in Ulduar if we hadn't come to help," the paladin stated factually.

Valerica sighed in agreement, "He's right, Raze…they may be Alliance, but they helped us a lot in the campaign against the Lich King. There's no point in picking an unnecessary fight with them."

"Have you gone soft in the head?" a tauren warrior questioned shocked, "they would do the same to us. Not to mention, they stole the glory of conquering Ulduar from us…"

A night elf priest huffed in irritation, "There was nothing glorious about what happened there. Are you so blinded by your own dogmatic fanaticism that you failed to see the bigger picture? This is about more than just fighting and killing. We must save world…not ravage it further."

"Spoken like a true night elf," the female orc warlock joined in, "go preach somewhere else you lanky, naïve tree-hugger."

This caused several of the Alliance champions to raise their weapons threateningly. A dwarf paladin shook his head, "Watch yer tone ye foul witch or I'll put ye down!"

"I clearly remember us carving a path through Icecrown Citadel. While you fools were hiding on your gunship fighting Frostwyrms, we were destroying the Lich King's generals," she countered.

"Yes, and you did so well when Sindragosa nearly killed all of you. Val'kyr almost threw you off the ledge of Icecrown Citadel too if I recall…I wonder where you'd be now if I hadn't intervened," the night elf priestess stated.

The warlock laughed, "I had a portal down…I was in no danger."

"Don't provoke them, Kurga…I don't feel like listening to another useless argument," the forsaken mage sighed heavily.

She glanced over at him, "Mortukai, you're too passive."

"Reserved is more accurate…perhaps all of you could learn a lesson about that," he added dryly.

"Everybody calm down! We will do this as diplomatically as possible. I don't want any pointless fighting between us. I would be much more willing to consent with the horde if you had a more reasonable representative," the human paladin stated.

"Bah! I am the one in charge, here human! I will allow you fools to tag along, but make no mistake, there is nothing preventing me from killing you at any moment. You would do well to remember your place…" Raze hissed.

Sarkon walked behind the orc and quickly kicked Raze in the back sending him to the ground. The druid put his heavy hoof on Raze, "Let's get one thing straight here…you are not the commander of the horde out here anymore, Raze. Since you disobeyed the warchief, I am technically the one in charge. Stop picking fights with the Alliance! Valerica is right…we at least owe them some courtesy after this long campaign together. Not to mention, that rabid display from earlier was pathetic. You nearly allowed Valerica to die. I am not going to let you make a bigger mess of things out of some petty rage!"

Valerica nodded her head in approval, "I agree with Sarkon. That was unbefitting of a General…does my life mean nothing to you, _sir_?!"

Raze leapt to his feet and spun around threateningly to the druid, "How dare you attack an orc from behind. Have you no honor?! If you wish to challenge me for leadership than do so now!"

The death knight raised Shadowmourne against Sarkon causing all of the Horde champions to turn their gazes worriedly.

The night elf priestess shook her head in disbelief, "Such reckless, barbaric fools. These bloodthirsty mongrels have no true unity or discipline."

"I agree, Teryn, it is quite pathetic…" a night elf druid added.

Kurga sent a nasty glare at them, "I hate you stupid elves…you wouldn't understand what a true warrior society is. This is a contest of honor."

"I see no honor here…only incompetent horde leaders setting a bad example for their subordinates," A prude human mage added. She sent a smug glance at Kurga to counter the orc's insult.

"Hey mon, this is not your place to judge others. Da horde does tings differently," a female troll shaman interjected with a calm tone.

Everybody's attention soon shifted back to Raze and Sarkon. The orc death knight wasted no time advancing towards Sarkon, but was surprised when the human paladin blocked his path. "Put that thing down, death knight! Don't make us kill you as well…from what I can see, your people are in no position to take orders from you."

"Hah! You humans are all the same…getting involved in things that do not even concern you! This is between two officers of the horde! He has challenged my right to lead…it must be met with death," Raze announced.

Sarkon gritted his teeth fiercely, "You are rabid dog…stand down, Raze! You may even still retain some shred of your dignity!"

Everybody began to back up Sarkon much to Raze's disbelief. The only people that backed the orc up was the Tauren warrior and a female troll shaman. He looked over the others in disgust, "So, you would all betray your commander!?"

"The sentence is death!" he roared as he channeled full runic magic into Shadowmourne. Souls erupted from it as he smashed it down full force against Sarkon. Much to his disbelief, the human paladin parried his attack with his shiny blade, Aesir's Edge.

The two struggled back and forth for a moment before Sarkon charged and tackled Raze to the ground. The Tauren began to brutally pummel the orc, "You have lost all credibility as our commander! You would dare to raise Shadowmourne against me after I saved your life in Naxxramas?!"

Raze quickly rolled back kicked Sarkon off of him. As he leapt to his feet, he narrowly dodged a thrust from Valerica's blade.

He backed away anxiously as Valerica and the human paladin closed in on him. They each channeled holy magic and unleashed a divine storm against him. He grimaced in pain as he braced through the dual assault. He channeled a howling blast at the two and sent a high kick towards Valerica knocking her down.

Raze narrowly dodged the human paladin as he back-flipped over Aesir's Edge and brought his axe down upon him. He was surprised when the human launched a powerful bolt of holy magic at him stunning him in place.

Finally, fed up with this conflict, Sarkon unleashed heavy thorny roots pinning the death knight to the ground. He channeled arcane magic in his hands as he aimed for Raze, "You are way out of line, General!"

As the starfire spell launched from Sarkon's hands, it flew at high speed towards the pinned death knight. Everybody was surprised when the orc quickly broke free and blocked the spell with an anti magic shell.

"Enough! This little uprising ends now! I am the commander of this fucking raid! Stand down or die!" Raze was practically glowing with runic energy as he quickly disarmed and knocked down several nearby champions who tried to stop him.

He marched towards Sarkon with his eyes glowing heavily, "You would doubt me now, Sarkon?! I never thought I'd see the day my second in command would turn against me for some diplomatic, political bullshit!"

"Raze, you have completely lost your mind, and are no longer fit to stand amongst us…I hereby relieve you of your command. Keep this foolishness up and you will no longer count yourself among the warriors of the horde!" Sarkon stated fiercely.

"You have no right to revoke my status! This betrayal will not be forgiven!" Raze growled.

Sarkon gritted his teeth as he looked at the human paladin, "He is no longer one of us."

This caused many present to go wide-eyed in disbelief. Several of the horde champions looked as if they wanted to voice their concern.

"The alliance no longer recognizes you under the protection of the horde. Leave now or we will kill you…" the human paladin stated darkly causing all of the Alliance champions to surround Raze.

The orc sent a disgusted glare towards Sarkon, "You would allow this? You would stand with Alliance dogs over me?! There is no honor in this! You are pathetic, sniveling coward! You stupid bull!"

"You dare speak to me of honor?! There is no honor in your actions, Raze! You disgrace your ancestors! Ever since you created that weapon…you ceased being the man I thought you were. I will make sure to tell Darion that Shadowmourne consumed your sanity after all," Sarkon concluded.

There was dead silence following these words. The death knight couldn't believe all of his subordinates turned against him. He looked back and forth in disbelief as they all sadly stared at him.

He looked towards the tauren warrior and female troll shaman who stood by him earlier, "Ironhoof…Aveil? You two as well?"

They both traded sad faces and held their heads down shamefully. Raze simply laughed to himself in disbelief, "Hahaha, so that's how it's going to be…fine, I don't need any of you. I will hunt the human on my own."

Without another word, Raze turned to leave. He let out a sharp whistle and called his tamed frostwyrm. He didn't even look back as he mounted the undead dragon and took off into the horizon.

The human paladin sighed heavily as he turned to face Sarkon, "Thank you for your help. I wasn't sure how to deal with him."

The tauren druid looked emotionally distraught as he held his head dejectedly, "I didn't do it for you…I did it for him. I knew you were about to kill him…"

This caused the human paladin to eye the druid surprised, "Really? How so?"

Sarkon shook his head, "He had archers on him the entire time you spoke to him and your sword was clearly enchanted with holy magic. You knew this was going to happen."

"I expected this, but I didn't hope for it. We certainly could have used his help," the paladin stated.

"Part of me hoped I would be able to talk sense into him, but he has losing himself for many months now," Sarkon sighed.

"Was it a good idea to let him go?" the paladin asked concerned.

The druid shrugged, "Probably not…but I don't know if I still have the heart to kill him. If it comes down to it, you are going to have to do it."

The blood elf priestess interrupted quickly, "I would be more than happy to send that idiot to hell where he belongs."

There was a long awkward silence following this comment. Finally, the paladin broke it as he removed his helmet and extended his hand towards Sarkon, "My name is Seirian, nice to meet you. I never really got the chance to thank you guys for all the help in Northrend. I'm sorry for all the pointless political skirmishes along the way. I was simply following orders."

The druid looked at his hand for a long moment as if it was hostile or infected, but finally extended his own, "I am Sarkon…one of the elder druids and lieutenant general of the horde."

The two shook hands briefly. The paladin sighed as he glanced over his Alliance underlings, "Everybody show them some respect. From here on the people present are not of the alliance and horde, but they are the champions and heroes of Northrend. If we're going to work together, I don't want any fighting or arguing. Does everybody understand?!"

A unanimous, "Aye sir!" was all that answered causing the paladin to nod his head in approval, "Good."

"Your proposition from earlier was a good idea human. Though, if our leaders get involved I doubt we will be allowed to kill him. You say you already informed the king and warchief?" Sarkon asked.

Seirian nodded his head, "Yes, I sent word to them about Arthas fleeing into Outland, but that doesn't necessarily mean we have to capture Arthas alive. Arthas has already proven that he's not going to be easy to capture. However, it's worth trying at least once…just for show, if you know what I mean."

The druid eyed him curiously, "I see…that seems quite underhanded."

"Well look at it like this. We can still say we tried to capture him and then just kill him ourselves which we will undoubtedly have to do anyways," Seirian noted.

"What if the leaders show up here and insist capture?" Valerica cut in.

Seirian shrugged, "I imagine they won't show up themselves. I wouldn't really count on anybody else coming except the ashen verdict and maybe Sylvanas. Tirion and Darion are definitely going to show up I would imagine. Thankfully, they want Arthas dead just as much as we do."

The blood elf rogue huffed in disapproval, "I don't want all of them to show up. Raze was right about one thing at least…they're going to steal all the glory for themselves."

"This is about more than just glory…if we're not careful, Arthas will outsmart us. He has already proven that he can based on how he handled us back in the blasted lands," Mortukai responded annoyed.

The blood elf rogue crossed his arms, "You give him too much credit, Mortukai, I almost killed him not too long ago."

"Yes, Anerius, and you failed miserably. Had you been alone, he would have undoubtedly killed you. You are starting to sound like Raze with that attitude," the mage shot back.

"Who cares, honestly? Nobody defeated the Lich King alone. So I don't see why any of you are so hellbent on getting to kill him yourself. Is the fact that he dies and we get to go home not enough for you? I'm just ready for this stupid campaign end." Kurga said.

The rogue shook his head and shrugged, "I guess that's a fair point. The thing is, I just want something to show for all this crap we've had to go through. Thrall better be paying for my retirement once we finish up here because I don't want anybody denying me what I earned."

"I figured your motive was greed…" Kurga chuckled.

Sarkon changed the subject, "Once we take care of the Lich King we are going to separate Raze from that abominable weapon he created. I would hope that the rest of you would choose to join me in that endeavor."

"Darion definitely needs to be informed of Shadowmourne's corruption on Raze. I'm sure he could find a way to talk sense into him," Aveil, the troll shaman added.

"He wouldn't have gone crazy like that if it hadn't been for that human death knight in the first place!" Ironhoof spoke up fiercely.

"Calm yourself, friend, this is no time for pointing fingers. The most important thing is to ensure we take care of these matters first," Sarkon calmly interrupted.

Kurga eyed Seirian up and down curiously, "Seirian…where have I heard that name before? OH I remember now! We met on the battlefield of Alterac many years ago. You slew many of my friends in that battle."

"I was just following orders…plus, we lost. Many of my fellow paladins undoubtedly died by your hand, warlock…so I'd say we're even," Seirian countered.

She simply laughed at him, "Well it's good you don't hold a grudge…there may be hope for you yet paladin."

"You as well warlock…" he replied coolly.

The forsaken mage, Mortukai, sighed again, "What are we going to do now?"

Sarkon glanced over everybody and thought for a moment, "I want all of you to fan out and search for his trail. Remember we are looking for Val'kyr as well so it shouldn't be too difficult. Stay in groups of three and do not engage the human if you find him. Report back here where I will be waiting."

The rogue made a careless rude gesture as he walked away, "Alright fine, who's going with me to check out Shattrah?"

Sarkon face palmed, "Don't go there you idiot! Why would somebody as notorious and easy to recognize as Arthas go to a populated city?! You're just trying to get an early vacation…"

The rogue laughed, "Oh c'mon…it's worth at least visiting the bar for a few hours."

"I'll go with you Anerius," Aveil stated anxiously.

The rogue winked at her, "That's my girl…who else wants to ride to Shattrah?"

Ironhoof didn't say a word as he walked over and put his hand on Anerius' shoulder, "Let's go…"

The rogue glanced at the tauren for a moment and could tell he was still upset about what just happened with Raze. He pat the bull on the back, "C'mon, Ironhoof, a few drinks will cheer you up buddy."

The three of them quickly took off towards Shattrah much to Sarkon's displeasure. Seirian looked over at his underlings and ordered them to check major landmarks. Many of them grouped up and left until only a handful remained.

Teryn, the night elf priest looked between Seirian and the several remaining Horde champions, "If it's alright with you grand marshal, I can stay here with you."

Seirian could immediately tell what she was thinking. The paladin would be left alone with six horde if she and the rest of them left.

The paladin glanced over his remaining troops. The only ones left were the human mage, Teryn the priestess, and a night elf warrior. He looked at the three of them intently, "I want you three to search for high concentrations of undead here. I would start with Auchindoun."

They traded uncertain glances, "Are you sure, sir? Antarin, Layna, and I don't feel right leaving you here alone."

He nodded his head, "I'll be fine. If you discover anything relevant, report back here immediately. Should anything happen to me, Antarin is in charge."

The night elf nodded his head, "As you command sir, we'll return within the week."

With that they left. This left Seirian alone with Valerica, Mortukai, Sarkon, Kurga, the blood elf priestess, and a troll hunter.

"What should we do, Sarkon?" the priestess asked as she glanced at the departing champions fanning out in the distance.

He looked at her, "Aeryssa, I want you, your sister, and Mortukai to make sure those idiots going to Shattrah don't try contacting Raze. Ironhoof especially, seemed like he was planning something foolish."

"What about Arthas?" Valerica demanded pissed off.

The druid shrugged, "What about him? I don't think killing him ourselves really matters all that much. Mortukai is right…we need to make sure he doesn't outsmart us. If we get the chance then go for the kill, but don't go seeking it or you'll end up dead."

The paladin hissed in disapproval, "Fine…c'mon let's go!"

With that she left leaving Kurga, Sarkon, Seirian, and the troll hunter behind.

Sarkon looked at Seirian intently for a moment, "I have a request human…would you go with Kurga to Nagrand? I would like to contact some of the local orcs for help and they might take this more seriously if you were there as well."

"Are you sure you want to watch the portal alone?" Seirian asked.

The Tauren nodded his head, "Of course."

"What of Bloodhawk though? Is he coming with us?" Kurga asked as she glanced over at the troll hunter.

Sarkon shook his head, "No, I am sending him to take a message to Thrall about Raze's behavior. He needs to know…"

Kurga glanced over at the human, "He doesn't have to come. I'm sure the elders in Nagrand would listen to me."

"It's symbolic…they'll recognize this as an important threat if they see an alliance grand marshal with you," he explained.

The warlock looked over at Seirian again, "Well, it's your lucky day human. You get to be my escort…don't try anything stupid though. If you make any move against me then we're going to hell together."

He smiled, "So whose ride are we taking…yours or mine?"

She whistled loudly calling her massive rusted proto-drake over, "I assume you have your own flying mount?"

The paladin nodded as he called his Azure drake, "Let's go."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well that's it for this chapter. I hope it was enjoyable and not too boring. Let me know how you like it ;)

I tried to flesh out Arthas' motives a bit more. Stay tuned! More awesome adventures are bound to occur. I know I said this chapter was going to be about reforging frostmourne, but I decided to save that for a bit later. I hope you enjoyed the gift Ner'zhul left Arthas. It ought to make for a pleasant surprise when the Horde and Alliance catch up to him haha.

I wonder what Ner'zhul meant by mentioning Illidan...

How will Arthas fare in Shattrah? Are the Scryers really as bad as the Aldor girls claim? We shall see won't we?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Shadows In the City of Light**

A golden pillar of light could be seen in the distance emanating from the radiant city of Shattrah. Arthas and his Aldor companions were finally reaching the gates of the legendary city. Maelina perked up excitedly as she saw the light, "It seems A'dal is moved by something. Normally he never does that unless something important is happening."

"What could it mean, you think?" Kaera asked as she looked over at Ishka. The young priestess shrugged, "Perhaps mother would know. I have not seen A'dal shine his light like that in over a year."

This whole exchange got Arthas extremely nervous, '_What if this Naaru knows I'm coming? Is he calling for reinforcements to the city? I'll have to keep a low profile and stay out of sight_.'

"So now that we're here, the first thing you should do is meet, A'dal!" Ishka exclaimed with a beaming smile at Arthas. He returned it briefly before turning his head away.

'_Or not…_' Arthas sighed. The prince glanced over the trio and spoke slowly, "I don't know if I am ready for that yet. I wouldn't mind taking a bit of time off to rest."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you must have been tired! When was the last time you slept?" Ishka inquired with concern.

Arthas thought for a moment, '_When was the last time I slept? I can't even remember…I never slept for more than a few hours as a death knight…if I could even call that sleep. I definitely never got any sleep as the Lich King_.'

"It's been a while," Arthas answered vaguely. The girls all traded disbelieving glances as if something was wrong. The former Lich King wondered if he genuinely did feel tired at that moment. He was returning to normal in some ways, but the adrenaline from running away from the alliance and horde kept him from even thinking about it.

"How long is a while?" Kaera asked inquisitively. The others perked up with interest awaiting Arthas' answer.

He let out a heavy sigh, "Maybe a week or so," '_Since I lost my power…_' he thought to himself at the end.

Ishka nodded her head apologetically, "Oh, I'm so sorry, we'll definitely head straight for Aldor Rise then. You can get some sleep once you finish talking to mother."

After a brief silence, Maelina decided it was best to change the subject, "Remember not to talk to any Scryers in the city. High Priestess Ishanah and none of the other Aldor will trust you if they see you associating with the Scryers."

"What if they approach me? How do you guys deal with them?" he asked curiously.

Ishka smiled, "Just tell them you're with us."

"Sounds easy enough I suppose. I'm curious though…what is their problem with the Aldor?" he inquired.

Maelina huffed, "It's a long story, but essentially they tried to take over the city from us. We only allow them to stay because A'dal prevents us from fighting. I'm serious though, Arthas…they're bad news. All the joking aside, they want nothing more than power like all blood elves do and won't hesitate to use any means they can to acquire it."

"Don't worry, I have no desire to be seen or heard by blood elves. They don't exactly like me anyways…" Arthas noted.

"How so?" Kaera asked almost suspiciously.

"You know how they are…" Arthas laughed trying to lighten the mood. Thankfully it worked as the girls joined in his laughter.

'_I should put my hood up again. I would draw less attention_,' Arthas thought as he raised his cloak's hood over his head.

Ishka looked at him confused, "What are you covering your face for?"

"It's less of a chance for Scryers to spot me," he thought up on the spot. He doubted that they would buy his excuse.

"Are you worried those people that are chasing you will be here? Don't worry about them…once you get to Aldor Rise, there will be plenty of guards to prevent that," Maelina stated.

He shrugged, "If you say so."

"Who are these people trying to kill you?!" Ishka almost demanded. She had a more determined face and Arthas could tell that she was serious about wanting to know.

The former lich king sighed, "They don't really have any kind of affiliation. It's just a group of people from the Alliance and Horde that want me dead."

"Why though? You seem so nice…who would possibly have a good reason to kill you?" Kaera questioned sadly.

He thought for a moment, "The world isn't nice or fair. I tried a long time ago to do some good and all it did was turn everybody against me. I would rather not discuss this."

They all frowned at Arthas' downcast stare. Thankfully, they finally reachedthe entrance through the east gate of Shattrah.

"Well the good news is you're here now. Welcome to Shattrah City! This is the lower city district," Ishka announced happily as they passed inside.

Arthas looked around with fascination as he took in the scenery. This lower city was bustling with activity from all walks of life. Every race Arthas could imagine was there as well as ones he had never even seen before. As the four trekked further inside, Arthas looked up and saw a shining temple at the center of the city elevated above everything else.

From it's center came the pillar of light that sparkled brightly into the sky. He looked over at Ishka and pointed, "What is that building called?"

"That is the Terrace of Light. You will find A'dal and many priests and mages within it. It's quite a marvel to behold for the first time," Ishka replied warmly as if she was sharing his awe.

Arthas had not been inside of a real city in many years. He almost admired the bustling activity as strangers ventured back and forth about their business.

He immediately got a lot of strange looks from the commoners who seemed frightened by his appearance. He wasn't surprised by this reaction. I mean he was fully armored and cloaked as a death knight after all. From what the prince could tell, a lot of these people were refugees.

As he followed the Aldor girls further down the street, he glanced around at the groups of people. This place had a lot of bird like people he had never seen before. Kaera seemed to notice his curiosity, "Those are called Arakkoa. Most of the ones here in the city are nice enough, but a lot of the outlying factions are aggressive towards outsiders."

Arthas inspected the bird like men more closely. They seemed interesting to him mostly due to the magic he saw them channeling. They appeared to have a lot of arcane knowledge. He had a feeling that these creatures were worth looking into at some point.

As they continued, Arthas felt something bump into him. He looked down to discover its source as an orc child. The young boy looked at him fearfully as he got back up. "NO! It's the monster!" the kid yelled terrified.

He almost felt as if this child recognized him. The death knight simply stared at him without saying a word. This caused the boy to gulp as he backed away slowly. The young orc child was trembling as he examined Arthas closer. The Aldor girls looked at him concerned and Ishka spoke up, "It's okay, young one. He's not a monster. He's just a traveler."

"No! It's going to get me!" the child yelled hysterically as he backed away terrified. Arthas knew for a fact that this kid knew he was a death knight. Although that seemed awfully suspicious to him…had this child seen him before?

Thankfully, a woman ran over to stop this scene from escalating into a mess. "Come here, Frok," a human woman said soothingly to call the boy over. The young orc ran over and clung to her as if his life depended on it, "T-the M-m-monster is b-b-back!"

"Shhh, it's okay, you're safe. Nothing is going to get you Frok. He is just an armored traveler. Why don't you go and play with the other kids," she suggested warmly. The boy nervously looked at Arthas before nodding his head and running off. The woman let out a sigh before turning to meet the group's attention.

"I'm sorry about that, the children don't see very many people like you here," the woman explained to Arthas.

He simply shrugged, "It is of no concern."

He instantly began walking again until the woman got in front of him. She looked up and smiled, "Please, don't hold it against him. Frok's father died fighting the scourge in Azeroth and his mother came here but never made it. One of the trade caravans found him on the road and brought him here."

"That's so sad," Kaera said gloomily.

"What's the scourge?" Maelina asked curiously.

"An army of undead…" Arthas answered bluntly. Ishka and Maelina traded concerned looks.

"So how did his father die exactly?" Ishka asked the human woman.

She looked sad as she eyed each of them, "Frok's father was killed by dark warriors called death knights."

"That is unfortunate, but we really don't have time for this. Let's go," Arthas interrupted rudely as he pushed past the woman.

"Wait, Arthas don't be mean. I want to know more about this," Maelina stated.

He spun around with an irritated look on his face, '_I don't need people saying my name in public in front of some woman who could easily figure out who I am_.'

Thankfully, the woman didn't seem to catch on much to Arthas' relief.

"I apologize for being so forward," she bowed her head to Arthas, "I didn't mean to waste your time. I forget that travelers usually prefer to speak of happier things. I just wanted to spread awareness…the orphans have it very rough in this city. I was just wondering if you knew Frok's father or any of his family."

"Why would I know his father?" Arthas responded dryly.

She frowned at his question, "I'm sorry…I usually just ask all of the new travelers from Azeroth."

"How did you know I was from Azeroth?" Arthas asked suspiciously.

The woman chuckled, "Trust me I can tell. You get used to seeing the people around here. Outsiders are easy to spot."

'_That's not good…I'll have to be extra discreet_,' Arthas noted mentally.

"Who are you, exactly, miss?" Arthas asked as he examined their surroundings. Nearby was a big building where many different children from all sorts of races could be seen scattered about.

"I'm Lydia, one of the matrons at the orphanage. I help the children and keep them out of trouble," she explained.

Ishka frowned, "Those poor children. I forgot about this place. It's so easy to forget about the rest of the city when we're living comfortably at Aldor Rise."

"You are too kind, my lady," Lydia smiled.

Maelina sighed, "We don't really have any money to donate though…sorry."

The woman seemed surprised by this comment but smiled nonetheless, "That's okay. Simply visiting the children makes a big difference on its own. Right now what they need more than ever is role models."

"Hey, guys do you want to see all the children? They're so cute!" Maelina spoke up excitedly.

'_I thought teenagers were supposed to hate kids…ugh_,' Arthas thought to himself in aggravation.

"That sounds fun! What do you think, Arthas?" Ishka asked.

He simply shrugged, "Why not…" his monotone voice clearly emphasized his lack of desire to do so.

"Oh that would be so nice. The children would especially love seeing a visitor from Azeroth!" Lydia exclaimed.

Arthas kept a straight face but on the inside he was mad, '_What the hell is this nonsense?! I don't feel like going to some orphanage._'

"I know you're tired, Arthas, but we won't take long. Plus it'll be fun; you'll see," Ishka beamed.

Lydia turned around and led the four of them to the large building not too far away.

Upon entering the building, Arthas immediately spotted dozens of orphans playing and talking to each other. Upon spotting him, the room went dead silent. Lydia spoke up assuredly, "Hello children, good news! I have some visitors here today. They don't have long, so be sure to talk to them while you have the chance."

Much to his dread, many of the bolder ones instantly ran for him with eager eyes. "You're so tall! Hey, is that armor super heavy?!" a elven boy said awestruck as glanced up at the towering, hooded death knight.

"Where are you from?" a troll girl asked fascinated.

"What's your name?!" a cheery orc girl almost demanded.

"Now now children, don't crowd the man," Lydia interjected with a smile.

"So, you kids are all orphans huh?" Arthas asked bluntly. The Aldor girls shot him surprised looks for stating the obvious to children.

Some of the kids looked saddened by his comment, but others nodded carelessly. One of the children, obviously older than the rest, was a night elf, "Yes. My parents are from Kalimdor…I don't know what happened to them."

"So are you some kind of warrior?" the troll girl asked interested.

Arthas nodded his head, "Yes, I was trained for many years as a paladin when I was younger."

The blood elf boy's eyes lit up with delight, "A paladin?! So did you fight bad guys and stuff?!"

"Yeah, though sometimes it's hard to tell who the bad guys are," he answered with a drifting thought.

"You can sit down if you want," Lydia offered as she pointed towards a nearby seat. Arthas did as she suggested.

The three Aldor girls each dispersed and went to speak to the shy or cute children they could find. "What did you say your name was again," Lydia asked as Arthas sat down. Several of the nearby children that were gathered around him stared anxiously.

"Arthas," was all he said. He knew he was going to regret spreading his name around this city, but then again it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"I swear I've heard that name before…" Lydia said to herself. The prince instinctively moved his hand towards Frostmourne as he narrowed his gaze.

"You have?" he stated stoically.

She thought for a moment, "Maybe not…but it sounds so familiar. Are you part of the Alliance?"

"No…" he said callously.

He knew he was going to have to stop this woman from thinking about it so Arthas decided to change the subject, "So anyways kids, what do you all want to do when you get older?"

"I want to be a paladin too!" the blood elf boy said energetically.

Arthas chuckled, "I see, and why is that?"

"They're so strong and cool and everybody likes them! I want to be a hero too!" he exclaimed.

"Were your parents paladins?" Arthas asked. Lydia looked downcast when Arthas asked the boy such a personal question.

The boy briefly hung his head dejectedly, "My parents are both mages. My father promised me that he would take me to Silvermoon to train when he got back. But, he and mom went to war a couple of years ago and left me here. It's been five years but they'll be back eventually. They must be needed on the front lines."

'_Talk about a classic case of denial_…' Arthas thought.

"They're probably dead," the death knight said bluntly. The boy's face looked devastated by this comment and Lydia stood up and walked over towards him.

"W-what?" he said in disbelief. She instantly tried to soothe the boy, "We don't know that for sure, Raserius. Mages get called on long tours all the time."

Arthas sighed, "If you really want to become a paladin kid, then go do it yourself. Your parents aren't responsible for your future…you are."

The boy seemed saddened by this comment, but part of him seemed to be contemplating it as well. Lydia sent a disapproving look towards Arthas, "You can't say things like that to them. They're just children."

"No, he's right Matron Lydia…dad always told me I am co-creator of my own life," the boy said more confidently.

"I might be wrong, but consider how proud they would be if you accomplished it without them?" Arthas tried to lighten the mood.

The boy nodded his head in approval, "You're right, Arthas!"

Lydia let out a sigh of relief when the boy ran over and hugged him. Arthas awkwardly returned it with one arm. He did not feel very comfortable in this situation.

As the boy backed away, the troll girl coughed, "Well I want to be a shaman."

"I want to be a druid," the night elf boy added.

Many of the other children were quiet. They looked uncertain about what they wanted to be and simply stared at Arthas. The troll girl shook her head at the night elf boy, "Shamans are way better than druids."

"No they're not! My father was a super strong druid!" he countered.

"Oh yeah? Well Shamans are more in tune with nature and far better healers," she stated.

He laughed, "You're funny aren't you? At least I know about my people."

She sent him a mean glare before turning towards the armored death knight, "Hey, Arthas have you ever been to Northrend? My parents were refugees from the Drakkari tribe…nobody here seems to know much about it."

He looked at her disbelievingly, '_What are the odds of that?'_

"Nobody has ever heard of this tribe you keep making up…" the night elf chuckled.

"So that must be where that icy blue skin come from. Yes, I've been to Northrend. It's a beautiful place…as is Zul'Drak," Arthas replied. He was partially lying about this, but that was more to cover up his knowledge about recent happenings.

"You know about Zul'Drak?! I've only ever heard tales from my mom…well back when she was alive. Please, tell me more about it!" the girl requested eagerly.

He thought for a moment, "Well, the ice trolls were very interesting, but like most people in Northrend, they were barbarians. They spent the majority of their time warring with the Vrykul and the Nerubians. During my expedition there, I encountered a few. They did not like outsiders very much. I saw parts of Zul'Drak, but I never really got to see Gundrak, their capital city."

"What are Nerubians and Vrykul?" Raserius, the blood elf boy asked.

Lydia answered him, "Nerubians are a bug race and Vrykul are half giants."

"Cool!" he said in amazement. Some of the more skittish orphans started scooting in closer to listen to Arthas.

Lydia looked over at Arthas surprised, "You took an expedition to Northrend? That must have been treacherous. Only the strongest of adventurers or military from the Alliance and Horde dare to venture there."

"Hey, Arthas," Ishka spoke from across the room, "were you in the war with the Scourge? I heard my mother talk about it briefly a few months ago. She said a lot of refugees came here out of fear of the undead."

"I would rather not talk about it…" he said distantly. Part of him felt wrong talking to these innocent children without a shred of guilt. He knew he was undoubtedly responsible for a lot of these kids being put in this orphanage.

Arthas felt a tugging on one of his gauntlets and glanced over at a timid looking human girl. She had light brown hair and piercing green eyes. She was holding a book in one of her hands. He eyed her up and down curiously, "Yes?"

She didn't speak as she opened the book and pointed to a section in the pages. He read over it briefly, '_Genealogy of Human Kings. Lordaeron's Kings…wait my name is in this book!_' he noticed shocked.

He kept a straight face but started to internally worry about how much this little girl knew. Much to his disbelief, she simply closed the book and smiled. "Ah, that's Tira, she doesn't talk very much," Lydia explained as the girl sheepishly twirled her thumbs.

"Where is she from?" Arthas asked the woman eyeing the little girl intently.

"I'm from Lordaeron…" the girl answered abruptly much to everybody's surprise.

'_This is a disaster…that kid definitely knows who I am then._' the death knight noted.

"How did she end up here?" Arthas asked.

The girl smiled much to his disbelief, "My father brought me here. He's a researcher."

"Why did he put you in an orphanage?" Arthas asked.

She looked down, "It's only for a little while he said. He didn't want me to get hurt on his research trip."

"Exactly what kind of research does your father do?" Kaera asked as she walked over.

The girl did not answer. She simply narrowed her gaze at Kaera as if the girl was an enemy.

Many of the children quietly whispered amongst each other undoubtedly gossiping about Tira.

This little girl seemed like a future sociopath to him judging by her shy but creepy stares. Thankfully, Maelina seemed to distract the long, awkward scene when she spoke up, "Well we should probably get going. It was nice meeting all of you kids."

"Says the kid…" Arthas laughed.

The girl sent him a flustered glare, "Hey, I'm an adult! I'm also really mature for my age!"

Arthas wasted no time accepting her suggestion to leave as he made his way to the door. Ishka and Kaera soon followed suit. As they headed for the exit, all the kids waved. "Please come visit us again!" the troll girl announced.

Lydia bowed her head respectfully, "Thanks for talking to the children. We hope you come back and visit us again."

They all silently nodded as they left the building. Upon exiting, the human girl ran outside, "Oh by the way, Arthas, I want you to have this book."

The death knight looked at her questioningly, "What?"

She handed him a book. The surface looked unusual to him since it was covered in demonic sigils. '_They let children read this shit?!_' he thought to himself surprised.

"Uh, thanks…Tira was your name right?" was all he said as he grabbed the tome.

She smiled warmly, "Tira Ebonlocke."

The girls looked at the book that she handed Arthas with extreme concern, "That looks like a demon book. How did a little girl get that?!" Ishka was clearly worried.

"My father gave it to me. He is one of the people that killed Illidan…" she said darkly. Her tone seemed almost sadistic as she smiled innocently.

"Your father should not be giving you evil demon books! Just what kind of research does he do exactly?!" Kaera demanded.

"Demonology," Tira giggled innocently as if it were nothing. It was at this point, Arthas was convinced she was a sociopath. He wondered what that would imply since the girl obviously knew who he was.

"That is disgusting…what kind of father would give something so evil to his child? That tome will twist your mind, little girl," Kaera explained.

Ishka nodded in agreement, "No good can come of child reading demon books. That's what makes warlocks so evil."

"What would you know of warlocks? Have you ever seen one?" Tira asked amused. Her tone in front of them was completely different than the way she acted inside the orphanage.

"They're terrible, power-hungry, and evil! Why are you giving that book to Arthas?" Maelina added.

"Yeah, that seems weird to me. Arthas was a paladin you know…why would he possibly want that disgusting book?" Kaera added.

Much to Arthas' surprise, Tira began to speak to him telepathically, _**"They think they know so much don't they? These other races underestimate human ingenuity." **_

His eyes went wide with shock, '_How are you speaking to me? Unless…you're a mage or priest of some kind then? Telepathy is an advanced form of magic…_'

"_**Actually I'm a warlock like my father." **_Tira boasted.

'_I see…and why do you think I would want this book_?' Arthas asked.

She smiled, "_**That is a sealed tome of the lost legion. "My father kept it for many years and eventually gave it to me before he left. If you encounter him in Outland, which you most likely will…show him that and he'll trust you."**_

'_What are you saying exactly?_' he seemed bewildered by this girl who couldn't have been older than 13.

"_**My father always taught me to seize an opportunity when it was within my grasp. You are the perfect opportunity…The Lich King himself," **_she explained vaguely.

'_I'm not the Lich King anymore…_' Arthas responded.

"Umm, why are you too just staring at each other? It's getting kind of creepy," Maelina interrupted.

Both of them instantly shifted their attention towards the girl. Arthas nodded his head, "Yeah, sorry let's go."

"Tell me you're not going to keep that book?" Ishka asked rigidly.

"Yeah give it back to the…hey where did that little girl go?!" Kaera gasped in disbelief as she looked around for Tira.

Arthas heard the girl's voice in his head_**, "Help my father and he'll help you. By the way…don't let those goats or the elves touch it. They would surely destroy it to conceal the wondrous secrets within."**_

He didn't even bother responding to the command as he simply changed the subject, "We should be on our way…"

"Arthas, let me see that book," Ishka requested a little too imposingly for his tastes.

He shook his head, "No, if it's dangerous then you should definitely not touch it. I'll just put it away for now."

Ishka looked a bit put off by his refusal but nodded nonetheless, "Fine, but you should let my mother have a look at it when we get there."

"Man that little girl was so creepy…" Kaera noted as she shivered.

"I know right? I felt like her eyes were staring into my soul. That book must have made her act like that," Maelina responded.

"I bet her father must be a warlock or something…" Kaera pondered out loud. The others sent her shocked expressions.

"That's why Arthas should let me hold that tome instead so that we can properly sanctify and destroy it," Ishka suggested hopefully.

"No…" was all he said causing her to pout again. As they continued down the road, the girls led him further around the perimeter of lower city until he could see a huge base on the cliff above. An elevator was rising and falling as it brought visitors to and from the cliff.

Kaera pointed towards it, "That is Aldor Rise, Arthas. You see that elevator? It's guarded day and night to make sure nobody except official guests and our own people enter the area."

"Interesting," Arthas said almost mechanically as he drifted his attention towards the surrounding people. He received many more strange looks from the passing commoners.

It wasn't strange to him though. He was wearing his terrifying, heavy, armor still. The armor that struck fear into the hearts of the millions. Arthas knew he had to remain alert in case one of these people would recognize him, but so far he seemed to be fine.

Nevertheless, he made sure to turn his face away whenever he spotted humans or blood elves. They were his main concern at the moment since they were the most likely to recognize him. The last thing he wanted was even more people figuring out who he was. He couldn't stop thinking about the tome that Tira gave him.

She knew exactly who he was and seemed like she wanted to help. '_I am going to have to keep this book then. I wonder who that girl's father is…do I know any warlocks named Ebonlocke?_'

Finally, after passing under several archways and going up a flight of stairs, they reached the elevator and Arthas felt a slight hint of relief.

As the elevator lifted upwards, Arthas got a great view of the city. It truly was a gorgeous as the girls had described.

Arthas turned his attention towards the red and gold banners in the distance to the right. He guessed it was the Scryer's base. Ishka was quick to point it out, "That's the Scryer's Tier…promise me you'll be careful around them."

"I won't go near it," Arthas stated almost carelessly as the elevator finally reached the top. He turned around and made it two steps onto the plaza before guards surrounded him.

"Halt! Who are you?! What is your business on Aldor Rise?!" One over-zealous guard demanded. He seemed extremely nervous by Arthas' attire and had his sword drawn.

The prince was about to open his mouth, until Ishka answered for him, "He's with us. His name is-"

She was about to say his name until Arthas interrupted, "I need to speak to High Priestess Ishanah."

Ishka looked shocked by his interruption but decided to play along, "Don't worry guards. He's a friend of ours."

The guards all seemed to relax as they returned to their posts, but nevertheless their eyes remained glued to the new stranger now making his way into the main building.

As they reached the entrance, Ishka stopped him, "Why did you interrupt me back there? Did you not want him to know your name?"

Arthas nodded his head, "I would prefer to keep it on the down low. Just as a safety precaution. I really didn't even want those kids to know, but that can't be helped now I suppose."

Maelina and Kaera traded confused glances but remained quiet.

Ishka thought for a moment, "If you're truly worried about your safety, I will tell the guards to only use your name here…I almost forgot you had people after you. Hopefully mother will know what to do."

"Thank you. I would appreciate that," he responded with a sigh of relief.

She leaned in closely and whispered, "I want to talk to you in private later about that book. I've heard of this lost legion…masters of felfire. It is too dangerous for you to just carry around. We need to destroy it."

He looked at her carelessly before she turned away and led him inside. As Arthas entered the building, its many inhabitants turned to greet him.

"Welcome, guest, what brings you to the Temple of the Aldor?" one lady spoke regally and calm. Arthas could tell she was used to doing it on a regular basis.

The woman quickly noticed Ishka and bowed her head low, "Ah, young priestess, who is this person you have brought to us?"

Ishka bowed her head respectfully, "He's a friend I met on the road in Terrokar. I wanted him to meet mother."

A burly and bald Draenei man came around the corner with full armor donned. "Lady, Ishka, I am glad to see your safe return."

She turned and smiled at him, "Good to see you as well, Adyen!"

Maelina sighed as she glanced over at Kaera, "Well I guess we should get back home. We will see you tomorrow, Ishka."

"Bye girls, see you tomorrow," the priestess waved. As the two were about to leave, they each gave Arthas a quick hug. Maelina sent him a quick wink, "Sleep well."

As they left, Arthas finally realized it would probably be a good idea to remove his hood. As he pulled it back and revealed his full face, the woman from earlier eyed him curiously, "A human? We don't get very many human visitors here anymore. Are you from the Alliance?"

"No, Sha'nir, he is not. He is from Azeroth though. We met him on the road…I wanted to introduce him to mother," Ishka explained.

The woman cocked her head, "That seems rather unusual. Why would you bring a total stranger here? Not to mention, if you're not with the Alliance then who are you with and why are you here?"

All eyes were pinned on him awaiting an answer. Arthas shrugged, "I don't see why that really matters…I just wanted to get away from all the nonsense in Azeroth."

Sha'nir sent him a disapproving glare, "Sounds awfully suspicious to me…you don't look like the refugees we normally get. I've never seen armor like that before. Are you some type of mercenary or warrior? Where are you from exactly?"

Arthas simply stared at her with a straight face refusing to answer. A long pause followed her question.

"Perhaps the light has brought him here for a reason…" a voice echoed from across the room. Two massive double doors opened in the hallway and a finely dressed woman emerged. She walked down the steps slowly and glanced between her daughter and Arthas.

Ishanah was quick to inspect Arthas' armor and face before letting out a light chuckle, "It has been many years since I last saw a death knight…though you seem very much alive. I find that curious…you don't seem to be undead but in a way you still are."

A loud chorus of gasps erupted from this comment causing everybody in the room to reach for their weapons instinctively as if Arthas was about to attack. Ishanah waved her arm, "Put those down…he's clearly not going to do much damage with a broken sword. In fact, you can all leave…shoo."

The guards in the room reluctantly bowed their heads and calmed down as everybody filed out of the room.

Sha'nir and Adyen were both still present, but a small cough from Ishanah quickly cued for them to leave as well; This left Arthas alone with Ishanah and her daughter. As Ishanah finally reached him, she looked at his appearance more closely, "Tall figure, Tattered black cloak, Saronite bone armor, and silver hair. Also if I'm not mistaken, that sword is named Frostmourne, am I correct? That must mean you are Arthas."

The man's eyes went wide with disbelief at being called out. He immediately backed away worried as if she was about to call out an ambush. He alertly scanned the room for any sign of approaching danger.

Ishka looked at her mother confused, "How did you know his name, mother?"

"Do you even know who this man is, Ishka? Where did you encounter him?" the woman interrogated her daughter while staring at him.

"We met him in Terrokar. Please, mother, tell me what's wrong," Ishka responded desperately.

Ishanah was silent for a moment as she stared at Arthas. She kept glancing down at Frostmourne, "How did you break your sword?"

"The Ashbringer shattered it…" Arthas answered honestly. He saw no reason to lie now that this woman knew who he was.

She laughed, "Darkness can never triumph over the light…I have heard many tales of this Ashbringer. Who wielded it?"

"Tirion Fordring…leader of the Argent Crusade," Arthas stated annoyed.

"My my my…so how did you end up all the way in Outland then? Did they banish you?" she asked curiously as she traced a finger over Arthas' armor.

Ishka looked between them confused and annoyed at being left out of the loop.

"What's going on mother, how do you know him and what do you mean he is a death knight?!" she demanded almost angrily.

Ishanah looked at Arthas amused, "I wonder…have you told anybody yet?"

The man shook his head, "Why would I? People are trying to kill me still…"

"SO you escaped death? Now you stand in Shattrah, the city of light. Perhaps this was meant to be. The light works in mysterious ways…Arthas," Ishanah smiled suggestively.

Arthas did not like where this conversation was going. He sighed deeply, "So what are you going to do then…"

Ishanah looked at her daughter, "Ishka, he's an old friend of mine. I'll explain this to you later. We need some time alone."

The teenager looked appalled at being sent away and pouted, "This isn't fair…nobody ever tells me anything."

She reluctantly left the room leaving Arthas alone with Ishanah. He almost couldn't believe that the woman just covered for him. He gave her a questioning stare, "What is the meaning of this?"

Ishanah leaned in and whispered softly, "I could barely believe my eyes when I saw the infamous Lich King with my daughter. I find it unusual that you didn't kill her."

"Why would I? She's just a kid…" he said not really sure what was happening right now.

"That's never stopped you before has it? No, nothing has ever stopped you until just recently I see. How many people are still looking for you?" she asked quietly.

"How should I know? The Alliance and Horde have a never-ending supply of self-righteous idiots that are always trying to kill me. Listen, if you're going to try and kill me yourself, you might as well do it now," Arthas muttered darkly.

Much to his disbelief, Ishanah hugged him, "So much anger in your heart…so much hatred. The light has brought you here to redeem your soul."

He quickly pushed her away and growled, "Stop that! What are you trying to do?"

She frowned, "I'm absolving you of your sins. Only then can you find the light once more."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked defensively as he backed away.

Ishanah wasted no time binding him with holy magic to prevent further resistance. Chains erupted from all directions and wrapped around his arms and legs.

"Open your heart to the light, Arthas…embrace the warmth once again," she preached as she channeled soothing holy energy throughout the room.

It almost felt as if it burned, yet it was nowhere near what it once felt when he was fully undead. "ARGH!" Arthas roared as he burst free and fell to the ground in a thud.

"Don't come any closer! Stay away!" Arthas shouted as he drew his broken blade.

"What are you so afraid of?" she asked soothingly, "I'm not here to judge you. I am here to help you."

"Nobody can help me! Get away from me!" he was almost frantic as the woman embraced him again. She channeled intense holy magic preventing either one of them from moving. They were chained together awkwardly in this hug with their faces merely a touch apart.

This prevented him from looking away as Ishanah stared into his eyes. "What do you want from me?" he finally asked unsure of what was going to happen.

As she stared into his eyes, Arthas soon found himself reliving flashbacks of his past. Several scenes in particular caused him great distress. The first one was a memory where Jaina turned against him at Stratholme.

Even after all these years, Arthas was still pained by Jaina's actions that day. Arthas heard Ishanah's voice in his head as he watched the mage walk away with Uther, "You loved her didn't you? She didn't believe that you did everything in your power to do the right thing."

Ishanah almost seemed saddened by this memory as well. Arthas continued to watch memories flooding through him until they reached another key moment. This time, it was a memory of Northrend where he betrayed the mercenaries he hired to burn his own ships.

"You believed you were delivering justice to Mal'Ganis by any means necessary…but what I see here is a man who sacrificed everything for his own pride. I wonder how those mercenaries felt knowing you set them up? Did you ever wonder what their final thoughts might have been?" she continued.

They soon fast forwarded to the memory where Arthas betrayed Muradin to claim Frostmourne. "You felt the weight of your kingdom's fate resting upon you, and willingly sacrificed everything for them. Yet in the end, you became the very monster you set out to destroy. Muradin probably blames himself for you becoming a death knight. I wonder how different your life would have been had he never mentioned Frostmourne."

Arthas could barely describe the sickening feeling in his stomach as he watched all of the atrocious acts he committed as a death knight. The memory of killing his father and Uther were especially hard to watch. When he got to his memories of Sylvanas, Ishanah sighed, "She thought herself great when she challenged your advance into Quel'thelas. You channeled all of your hatred and rage straight into her. She is your shadow…the Banshee Queen. She hates you; yet you are the only foe she has ever loved. The ultimate foe, the ultimate goal."

"What do you mean by that?" Arthas asked callously as he watched himself turn Sylvanas undead.

"You can see it in her eyes, right before you killed her. She couldn't believe she was bested by a human. You inflicted a heartless and cruel punishment upon her. Even in undeath she likely feels nothing but the lingering shadow you left within her. Her life likely revolves around you since she has nothing left. Though, I doubt even your death could bring her peace," Ishanah stated.

"I was so angry at her…I wanted to make her suffer," he said distantly. A small amount of guilt began to brew within him. Why was he so angry at her?

"I guess none of it really mattered in the end…my life is just one huge pointless tragedy," Arthas noted.

Ishanah kept the memories going all the way up to the point where Arthas was defeated. "Your soul returned to you when Frostmourne shattered. Have you felt any different since then? Perhaps your humanity is gradually returning. That means it's not too late for you to find redemption. The light has given you a second chance."

"Enough of this!" Arthas finally managed to pull away before kicking Ishanah back with his heavy boot. This caught her completely by surprise as she doubled over and dropped to her knees.

"The light hasn't given me anything! I fought tooth and nail for every breath in my body. It wasn't the light that saved me at Icecrown…it was my loyal Val'kyr!" Arthas roared.

Ishanah appeared to be in extreme pain as she rubbed the bruised area where Arthas just hit her.

He stood silent as he watched her try to regain composure. "I see you possess no qualms about striking a high priestess…normally that is punishable by death."

"Like you could kill me. Like anybody here could! I would sooner kiss Tirion's feet than let you kill me! How dare you invade my memories and then try to give me a sermon! Do it again and I will kill you!" he threatened bitterly.

Ishanah finally managed to stand up and smiled, "With what? You're not the Lich King anymore…and your sword is broken."

Arthas cracked his fists, "That doesn't mean I can't kill you. By now you should know I've always been really good at it."

"You are the architect of your own destruction. Your mentor, Uther, was correct Arthas. By giving in to your negative emotions such as rage, hatred, fear, and worst of all pride… you ended up destroying yourself from the inside out. I wonder how many innocents you killed in Stratholme just because you were afraid of the plague and furious at Mal'Ganis? Did you ever think to listen to Uther's wisdom instead of just plunging face first into things like a brute? No, because your pride was too great for you to admit you were wrong," Ishanah stated passively.

He sent her a furious glare, "Just because you saw my memories doesn't mean you understand me or the decisions I had to make! I was the only person who cared! Uther was wise, but he was wrong about a lot of things! I was the only one who had the stomach to do what needed to be done! Uther was a coward and a traitor! As a paladin, his job was to protect the innocent…but I wonder how many innocent lives were destroyed because of his inaction?! By refusing to help me, Mal'Ganis managed to escape, and Stratholme burned and died anyways! Stratholme was already lost! As a future king I had think about the rest of my kingdom's safety! The worst part of all is they blamed it on me. I wonder how different things would have been if Uther chose to help me…if Jaina chose to help me," Arthas said the last part distantly.

"I feel so sorry for you, Arthas. That day in Stratholme, you thought the light abandoned you. I do not hold you fully responsible for this because Uther and Jaina also chose to abandon you. People do terrible things in desperation…cruel and wicked things they never thought themselves capable of. You thought you had no choice to become ruthless and cruel. However, when you cross a certain line, you begin to embrace these evils…and that is what happened to you," Ishanah explained thoroughly.

She soon found herself in a death grip as Arthas held her off the ground. He quickly dragged her across the room and slammed her as hard as he could against the wall. This caused a low thud to echo throughout the grand hall. She choked and gasped for air as his grip tightened, "Shut up! You weren't there! This is why I hate priests…you think you can just stand there and preach as if you have all the answers! Of course Uther was right in theory, but he was also too idealistic and naïve like my father! They didn't love Lordaeron like I did! What would you know of true rage? Of true hatred and despair?! I was willing to do anything to save my kingdom! Why did my people suffer while a few dry old men sat behind our high walls doing nothing?!"

Ishanah looked as if she was about to pass out until Arthas finally released his death grip. She fell to the ground gasping for air.

"You're not angry at me…you're angry at yourself. I am sorry for invading your mind, but I wanted to better understand you so that I could help you," she explained between breaths.

"Why would you want to help me?! I am beyond the point where a few worthless prayers would mean anything," he stated callously.

Just then several guards ran into the room led by Adyen, "High Priestess, Ishanah, we heard yelling is everything okay?!"

The guards all instantly drew their weapons and surrounded Arthas. The prince simply turned around with a menacing death glare, "Put those down before you get hurt…"

They all slowly advanced, but Arthas could see the nervousness on their faces.

He turned his attention back towards Ishanah and leered, "For all your talk of help, you're no different than anybody else, Ishanah. I didn't want to become the bad guy…it was forced on me. Imagine the love you feel for your daughter or this city. Imagine it being taken from you piece by piece by a foe that mocks you at every turn. Watch as you try stop it, but along the way, your friends and the people you love the most turn against you. I see no reason why I must justify myself to the likes of you."

The guards finally decided to find their courage as they charged Arthas. He quickly turned and took the first one down with one sweep of his arm. The guard spiraled through the air and landed on his back. Two more came in from either side and made opposing thrusts in an attempt to stab him.

Much to their disbelief, Arthas spun in a swift motion catching both of their arms and ripping both swords from their grasps. Before they could even comprehend what just happened, the prince high kicked the first one and round house kicked the other sending him into the wall.

Adyen gulped as Arthas turned towards him menacingly, "Just stop right there! More guards are on the way! A'dal will not tolerate violence in this city!"

His threat didn't even faze Arthas as the prince casually walked past him towards the double doors to the plaza. "I said stop, human!" Adyen demanded as he swung his sword down full force.

Arthas easily parried it and quickly disarmed the draenei before kicking him as hard as possible. Adyen went flying out of the double doors into the plaza causing the influx of guards to gasp shocked. They all turned their attention towards the stairs as Arthas casually walked down with both stolen swords in hand.

"A-arthas?! W-what's going on?!" Ishka asked petrified as she ran in front of him.

He didn't even bother looking at her as he continued forward. She looked as if she was about to cry, "What did my mother say to you?! How do you know her?! What's happening?! She called you a death knight, is that true?"

The death knight wasted no time pushing her to the ground as he continued advancing. She began to cry in disbelief when she saw the fury in his eyes.

"Wait! Come back, death knight! Things don't have to come to this! Just please, relax, I mean you no harm!" Ishanah announced as she came out of the main building.

Ishka looked over towards her mother, "Mom, what's going on?!"

Arthas casually glanced behind at Ishanah, "It always comes to this…call these guards off before I start killing people!"

Ishka looked horrified by this statement, "A-a-arthas…you wouldn't."

He glanced over at her and saw a grief-stricken expression of disbelief. For a moment it almost reminded him of Jaina's face.

"Guards stand down!" Ishanah announced. This caused widespread confusion to erupt amongst the guards. Sha'nir was quick to voice her disapproval, "My lady are sure that's wise?! This man is dangerous! He just threatened everybody as well as you!"

"Do as I said," she commanded once more causing the guards to reluctantly back away.

The silver haired prince found it quite unusual that she actually backed down. He turned his gaze towards her questioningly, '_I didn't think she would actually do it._'

Ishanah quickly walked down the stairs and past several guards before reaching Arthas. Everybody in the plaza was staring at him awaiting some kind of response.

"I can understand why you're upset, but it was never my intention to provoke you. I want to help you, and the only way I can do that is if you give me a chance," she said sympathetically.

Arthas sent her an mean look before throwing both stolen swords full force at her feet. They struck with immense force and actually impaled the stone much to everybody's disbelief. Ishanah looked at him worried, "My people mean you no harm, Arthas. I apologize for being so forthright…please forgive me."

"Mother, who is he? You said he's a death knight?!" Ishka demanded again as she ran in between the two of them.

The high priestess sighed as she examined her daughter's pained face, "It's not my place to say. I've already overstepped myself."

The gathering crowd began to whisper amongst each other anxiously. They seemed eager to learn any shred of information they could about this mysterious human named Arthas.

He did not even bother responding as he turned and walked away. "No matter how dark the night becomes, the sun always rises the next morning. The light will find you again paladin…whether you want it to or not," Ishanah spoke as Arthas departed.

The guards scattered as he passed on his way towards the elevator. Many looked like they were still confused about what was going on.

Arthas didn't even bother looking back as he finally reached the end of the plaza and stepped on the elevator.

As it lowered he shook his head in disbelief, '_If something seems too good to be true then it most likely is. Though I wonder why she didn't tell anybody else who I was…_'

"Who are you exactly?" he heard a voice from behind. He turned around surprised to see one of the draenei girls standing there. It was Maelina. She had a saddened face and looked like her feelings were hurt.

"None of your business kid…get lost," he said carelessly as he stepped off the elevator and walked away. She quickly trailed after him.

"Hey, listen, Arthas! I am not going to judge you. I heard them call you a death knight. What is a death knight exactly?" she asked.

He stopped in his tracks, "They are the opposite of paladins. We are dark warriors who wield powerful runic magic and inflict suffering upon everything we touch."

"So you really are dangerous…is that why those people want to kill you?" she began.

"I did all the wrong things for the right reason," he answered vaguely before continuing on his way.

She continued to follow him much to his annoyance. "Why are you still following me, kid?! Don't you get it? I'm a bad person…the kind your parents warned you about. The kind that kills stupid little children like you."

He could tell he hurt her feelings with that comment as she looked away sadly. She looked as if she was about to cry. "I'm sorry…I am just a dumb girl aren't I? I know we just met, but I really wanted us to be friends."

The man simply stared at her blankly, "I don't have friends anymore."

"Then I'll be your friend. I don't care about what you did in the past…you've been nice to me and that's all that matters now," she pleaded.

"You realize I'm probably the reason most of those orphans don't have parents right?" he said darkly.

She shook her head in disbelief, "No, I don't believe that."

"I guess your parents never warned you about trusting strangers huh? Go home, Maelina…I have nothing left to say to you or any of the Aldor," he replied.

She looked down shamefully, "How can you even say that? What did High Priestess Ishanah say in there?"

"It doesn't matter! Go away before I kill you!" he shouted angrily. This terrifying roar caused her to flinch as she cowered fearfully.

"I-I'm sorry…" was all she said before running away with tears flowing down her face.

'_Well that's over now…what should I do now?_' he wondered. Arthas hadn't really planned this far ahead and had no idea where to go in the city now that he burned his bridge with the Aldor.

"Excuse me, sir…did I just see you threaten to kill a draenei girl?" A voice sounded from behind.

'_Oh who the hell is it now?!_' he thought annoyed as he spun around with a fierce glare.

"What's it to you?!" he said venomously. Upon spotting the source, he noticed a rather amused looking blood elf woman who was smiling at him.

"You are the coolest refugee I've ever seen pass through this city. I love it when people put those stupid goats in their place," she laughed.

He simply stared at her unfazed, "Get lost lady…I'm not in the mood to talk."

Without even giving her a second glance he walked away back towards Lower City's Bazaar. The woman quickly cut him off and crossed her arms, "I know you don't think you can just walk away from me after getting me all excited."

"What the hell do you want?" he asked annoyed.

"I saw you up there…from my post. You really stuck it to those self-righteous draenei didn't you? I've never seen anybody manhandle Lightwarden Adyen like that. You did it in front of High Priestess Ishanah no less! Hell, you even made that girl cry! You're okay in my book. Please, let me buy you a drink," the blood elf woman laughed again.

He did not like that suggestion, "How's about you go drink by yourself and dive off that cliff?"

Arthas was not in a good mood, and this woman was clearly a Scryer from what he could surmise.

"Oh c'mon now…is it because I'm a blood elf? We don't mind you humans here in Shattrah. You guys are actually our biggest help in Outland. The stupid goats are the ones that we don't like. They're always trying to hold us down and treat us like second class citizens," she explained.

Arthas simply shrugged, "I don't care. Just because I don't like the Aldor doesn't mean that I'm automatically on board with you Scryers."

She seemed surprised that he knew she was a Scryer, "Oh, did those girls tell you about us?"

He eyed her suspiciously, "Have you been watching me?"

The woman nodded her head, "Yes…and I will continue to do so unless you let me buy you a drink."

Finally he sighed in defeat, "Alright fine…but no promises okay? I'll have one drink, you can say whatever you want to say, and then I'm gone. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," she smiled before licking her lips, "follow me, Arthas…"

'_Damn it, so this bitch knows my name too? Why did I even bother coming to this city?_' he thought to himself in frustration.

The blood elf woman quickly snaked her arms around one of his. He gave her a questioning glance, "What are you doing?"

"Just so nobody gets the wrong idea about us…" she giggled.

"Umm…I'm pretty sure people are going to assume something else if you do that," Arthas noted.

She smiled suggestively, "Oh? What would that be?"

'_Don't take her bait Arthas…this woman clearly has some kind of hidden agenda. Let's just get this bullshit over with_,' he told himself.

The two walked for a few minutes until they found a nearby bar. As they passed inside, they received many strange looks from the inhabitants. Arthas couldn't tell if the reason was because of his appearance or because of the situation he was in.

The bartender instantly recognized the blood elf woman, "Vyara, good to see you again. What'll it be?"

"We'll have two of my special brew. In fact make them both doubles," she said coolly.

Arthas sent her a disapproving glance, "So you've obviously done this before. Let's cut to the chase…what do you want?"

She put her finger on his lips, "Now now don't be so hasty…let's go to the back where we can have some more privacy."

The two walked past several strangers before finding a quiet isolated corner in the back of the bar. Upon sitting down, their drinks were delivered straight to them. Two platters of food were also brought much to his surprise.

Arthas stared at it strangely. He couldn't remember the last time he ate. His stomach growled as he stared at it. He wasted no time taking advantage of the situation as he began to eat the delicious salted meats and bread in front of him.

It was nothing fancy, but it might have been the best meal he had ever eaten. The blood elf woman watched him with fascination as he silently wolfed down his meal. She quickly reached for her mug of booze and held it up to him, "Cheers."

For reasons he couldn't explain Arthas grabbed his mug and brought it up to hers, "Cheers." He then drank his entire pint in one gulp.

The woman laughed at his enthusiasm, "Hah, so you were just playing hard to get huh? I didn't know food was the secret into your pants."

This caught him off guard and caused him to start coughing, "W-what?!"

He was expecting her to try and brush it off as a joke, but she seemed completely serious as she eagerly stared at him.

"Alright, so Vyara, what do you want from me?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious…" she said as vaguely as possible. He had a feeling she was just trying to tease him now.

Arthas shook his head '_Those kids weren't kidding about the blood elves here…_'

Several more drinks were brought to them much to his surprise. Vyara nodded at the waitress before turning her attention aback towards Arthas, "Okay, so first of all I want to know who you are exactly? I've heard the name Arthas before in Azeroth, but I can't quite seem to remember where."

"I used to be a paladin…maybe we met in Quel'Thelas when I was younger," Arthas answered vaguely. He was hoping to change the subject quickly.

The woman eyed him unconvinced, "No…I believe that's the name of that crazy human death knight who left a trail of destruction on his way towards Silvermoon City. The same human who killed King Anasterian and resurrected a powerful lich destroying the sunwell in the process. Of course that couldn't possibly be you…because that human is the Lich King now."

'_If she already knew who I was, then what was the point of buttering me up?! Unless this is a trap…Damn it! That's it, I'm getting my map and getting out of this city…too many people know who I am now,_' Arthas thought furiously.

He slowly inched his hand towards his broken rune blade, but remained calm as he stared blankly at the woman. She eyed him curiously, clearly not expecting his current reaction.

"You're the Lich King…" she stated the obvious with an odd grin on her face.

Arthas didn't say a word as he continued staring. He made sure to open his ears for any kind of imminent ambush.

Suddenly he began to feel extremely drowsy, _'Shit…the alcohol was drugged!?_' he thought to himself in disbelief. How could he have fallen for such an easy trap.

'_This bitch has another thing coming if she thinks I'm going down this easily_!' he mentally fumed.

"You're mistaken if you think drugging and poisoning my food and drink will work," he spoke calmly with a death glare.

Vyara seemed bewildered by his comment, "What? No, relax King Arthas…If I wanted you dead, I would have approached you with a platoon of guards."

"Then why this deception? This ambush will not succeed while I draw breath!" Arthas shouted as he stood up quickly and slammed his fist into the table. The table immediately shattered into pieces and splinters launched everywhere.

Several other people in the bar ran over to their dark corner confused. The bartender spoke up urgently, "Is everything okay ma'am? What happened?"

Vyara quickly waved the crowd off, "Go away, we're having a conversation. Here this'll cover your table…" The woman threw a few gold coins at the bartender before motioning Arthas to follow her outside.

He reluctantly did so, but had a feeling that there would be a cluster of enemies waiting outside for him. Much to his disbelief, there wasn't.

"I put bloodthistle in your drink to calm you down…I wanted to avoid a scene like that. Now we have to find a dark alley to talk in," Vyara explained as she quickly led Arthas around a few buildings to a secluded looking alley.

"You put what in my drink?!" he demanded angrily.

"Bloodthistle…it's a drug that calms you down. I couldn't be certain if you would try to kill me. I hoped it would put you in a more talkative mood. Clearly it hasn't had much effect on you…" Vyara answered. He did not like the idea of some random elf woman drugging him.

She looked around nervously to make sure they were alone until finally she spoke, "I wanted to talk to you before everybody else figures out who you are. There is an interesting proposition I wanted to run by you."

"First of all, if you know who I am then why are you even bothering to talk to me? As you already stated…I killed your king and destroyed your precious sunwell," Arthas said coldly as he constantly scanned his surroundings.

"The scryers do not officially support the Alliance or Horde. In fact we don't even concern ourselves with the matters in Azeroth. You may have killed King Anasterion and destroyed the sunwell, but that is of no concern to us. We betrayed Prince Kael Thas after all, and from what I've heard about and seen from the survivors in Silvermoon, Lor'themar will lead them to ruin with the horde." Vyara explained.

He was surprised by this response but remained skeptical, "What do you really want from me?"

She smiled, "I would tell you, but A'dal sees almost everything in this city. It's too risky…however, meet me at the Black Temple in Shadowmoon Valley in three days time and I will explain everything. I promise you won't regret it."

'_This seems to good to be true…but I suppose I need some direction here. I'll make sure to bring the Val'kyr with me in case she tries something stupid,_' he concluded.

"Very well…" was all Arthas said as he turned to leave.

Vyara quickly grabbed his arm causing him to spin around defensively. She seemed to flinch for a moment but soon handed him something, "Here, take this map. Everything you would ever want to see in Outland is listed here."

The prince felt relieved to finally get his hands on a map. He sent the woman a genuine smile much to her surprise, "Thanks."

"No problem…by the way, the horde has six people in this city looking for you so watch your back," she warned.

Without another word, Arthas walked back onto the street. As he turned the corner he felt a soothing, warm, and serene voice speak in his mind, _**"Fallen One, Your timing in Shattrah is no coincidence. The legion has returned."**_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well that's it for this long chapter. Yeah I went into a lot of explicit subplots…so sorry about that. I hope this chapter wasn't boring or anything. I promise the fun action will kick up soon. If you made it this far, thanks a lot for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Timely Arrival**

High atop the cliff in Shattrah City the Aldor Rise was bustling with random activity. Many guards frantically paced back and forth as they gossiped amongst one another about the recent happening. The guards that attempted to apprehend Arthas were describing the death knight's strength in great detail. Many of the commoners overheard this and before long the entire plaza was in panic.

Inside the Temple of Unending Light many high ranking Aldor were gathered around High Priestess Ishanah. Adyen spoke up disbelievingly, "My lady, forgive my rudeness, but why did you let that man go?! He's dangerous."

Many of the surrounding draenei nodded in agreement. Ishka, who had just entered the large hall let out a loud sigh, "Mother, I deserve answers! Why did Arthas freak out like that? What did you do to him? How do you know him and what exactly made you think he was a death knight?!"

Everybody in the room turned their attention to the hot-headed teenager who seemed upset and aggravated. Her tears had recently dried and now she wore a face of anger and distrust aimed directly at Ishanah.

Sha'nir coughed to chime in, "Exactly why did you call off the guards? It's not like one human, even a death knight, could stop a company of our finest warriors."

The high priestess glanced at her daughter and then towards Sha'nir before shaking her head slowly, "None of you would have even stood a chance against him…Arthas wasn't just a regular death knight. I looked into his memories and I saw a long bloody past. His heart is as cold as ice and his rage is hotter than the fires of Hell."

"What exactly do you know about this man, Lady Ishanah? I have never heard of this 'Arthas' before," a random high ranking draenei asked.

"I know that he is not to be trifled with," Ishanah said distantly. This got her many odd looks.

Adyen shook his head in disapproval, "We could have easily apprehended him. No warrior, no matter how ruthless and savage could single handedly defeat an overwhelming force. We have over a thousand guards stationed in the city…hundreds of which are here right now. You expect me to believe one human could kill all of them?!"

Ishanah sent a fierce glare towards the man, "Watch your tone, Lightwarden…Yes, I do expect you to believe that. You did not see what I saw. He has killed thousands by his own hands…he defeated Illidan in single combat and if I'm not mistaken, he disarmed honor guards in less than two seconds and could have killed you just as fast."

This last comment was clearly directed towards Adyen to remind him of his place. Thankfully it worked as the man lowered his head shamefully. A loud chorus of gasps and shocked expressions erupted throughout the crowd at the idea of one human defeating Illidan in single combat.

"H-he defeated I-illidan? When?!" Ishka exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's impossible! It took a force beyond reckoning to defeat Illidan! Akama, Maiev, and countless others. There's no way a simple human could have defeated the former lord of Outland. Even if he did then why did Illidan still live?!" Sha'nir demanded sternly.

"Enough of this! This is a matter beyond any of you. I want no gossip spreading beyond Aldor Rise, and I forbid any of you to approach him." Ishanah stated irritated.

The crowd quieted down as they traded disapproving glances. Ishka however, was not going to let the matter go, "Why won't you tell any of us a thing about him? Do you not trust me, mother?"

The high priestess shook her head, "No good would come of it…he nearly killed me for simply asking him questions. If one of you were to suddenly attempt vigilante justice, it would ruin any chance we have of helping him."

"Why exactly, do you want to help this man? You say you looked into his memories? If he is as ruthless as you say, what would be the point?" one woman asked inquisitively.

"I wouldn't expect any of you to understand such a thing. A'dal has tasked me with spreading light throughout the hearts of all. If I were to shirk this duty by denying this man a chance to redeem his soul then what kind of high priestess would I be? The Naaru believe in second chances, as do I."

Adyen coughed, "Yes, but how can you be sure that he is even capable of being helped? I saw the look in that man's eyes…there was no light within his soul."

"You're wrong…there is a certain nobility about him. Had he truly come here with the intent of evil then the Naaru would have responded immediately. Yet instead, A'dal simply chooses to observe him. Does that make sense to any of you?" Ishanah spoke reasonably.

"Surely A'dal could do something about him…I mean no death knight could ever compare to the Naaru's power," Sha'nir added.

Just then, a soothing musical voice echoed throughout the large room, "Evil begets evil. Fighting Arthas will only make him stronger and more resentful. High Priestess Ishanah was wise in her actions."

Everybody turned their heads in awe towards the entrance where a Naaru was floating.

K'uri, one of A'dal's lieutenants floated into the room. His warm and soothing presence caused everybody to relax as they bowed low.

"Forgive my disrespect, lady Ishanah," Lightwarden Adyen apologized. Many of the other people did so as well.

Ishka looked as if she was about to say something, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and spotted Maelina who had tears rolling down her face. The girl simply hugged her silent, crying friend.

"It is A'dal's wish for this human to be left alone. There are more pressing concerns that we must deal with now. An army is arriving from Azeroth to hunt Arthas down…but their arrival will better serve to aid in our own defenses," K'uri explained.

Ishanah's eyes went wide, "What do you mean, wise one?"

"Kil'jaeden, has awakened a terrible power hidden away by the titans. He has unleashed the lost legion of Xerreth and awakened the living flame," K'uri continued. Even his serene, relaxing voice had a hint of concern etched within it.

Everybody in the room gasped in pure shock. Several began to scream in fear at the idea of the Burning Legion returning. Although their primary concern was not of the legion itself but rather this lost legion. Ishanah simply shook her head in confusion, "What do you mean…Xerreth was destroyed by the burning legion was it not?! What is this lost legion?!"

"No, Ishanah, Xerreth was never destroyed. Kil'jaeden sent half of his army to that planet to conquer it but upon crossing through the portal they were never seen or heard from again. Kil'jaeden feared what was on the other side of the portal and decided to abandon that world. He ordered the former leader of the dread lords, Tichondrius, to forever seal the portal and the sigil of Xerreth within a Codex. The Codex of Xerreth was kept on Tichondrius until he died…but alas there is no telling where it now lies. It is our belief that the legion has decided to reopen the portal by order of Sargeras. If that is the case then we may very well be doomed," K'uri seemed to be afraid.

Adyen's face was distraught with horror, "Lord K'uri, what is this living flame you speak of? What could the titans have possibly locked away?"

K'uri's glow seemed to fade as did his musical and soothing tone, "I dare not speak its name. Should it choose to align itself with Kil'jaeden…then this world and countless others will fall. Lord A'dal has sent out a beacon of light to contact more of the Naaru to aid in Outland's defense, but we are in grave peril." K'uri continued.

Everybody's eyes widened in shock and many looked fearful. Adyen shook his head, "That human was a bad omen…"

Sha'nir nodded her head, "That must be why the holy lord wishes for us to leave the human alone…we've got much bigger problems now!"

"Remain vigilant, the burning legion will be here within a week at the most," K'uri stated before leaving the room.

Chaos and hysteria erupted throughout the now panicked room. Ishka followed Maelina outside to get away from the noise. As they walked down the stairs, many guards ran past them to investigate the temple. Ishka looked towards her friend sadly, "I can't believe all of this…first with Arthas and now the burning legion is returning?"

Maelina was quiet as she stared at the ground. She could not find the words or the will to reply and simply followed Ishka mindlessly. They were soon intercepted by Kaera who had a deathly concerned look on her face, "Ishka, you're not going to believe this! I just saw some Horde officers touch down in the city. They are here to look for Arthas!"

The young priestess rose a brow sharply, "Horde officers? Jeez…this must be a serious matter if they got people that important looking for Arthas."

Kaera gulped, "That's not all…I asked some of the city guards if they saw Arthas and one of them said a Scryer woman was with him."

Maelina looked up shocked, "W-what? Did you find out who it was?"

Kaera sighed, "I don't know…Vyara something. I asked around the lower city and some orc told me that she was a battlemage commander stationed out in Shadowmoon Valley."

Ishka's eyes went wide, "What would a high ranking battlemage want with Arthas?"

"I don't like this…something is wrong here. Did you guys find out anything else about who Arthas really is?" Kaera asked worried.

Maelina had a scowl as she looked away bitterly. Ishka on the other hand shook her head, "My mother refused to tell anybody a thing. All I learned was he wasn't an ordinary death knight and he defeated Illidan in single combat supposedly. Although I don't see how that's possible."

"Not an ordinary death knight? What the hell is that supposed to mean and how in the world could he have defeated Illidan?" Kaera sighed.

"I don't know…but mother seemed pretty serious about it," Ishka looked down sadly.

Maelina shook her head in frustration, "He told me himself that he was a death knight…he said he killed a lot of people."

"By the light, how awful," Kaera gasped.

"Did you hear the news about the legion, Kaera?" Ishka changed the subject.

The other girl shook her head, "No, what news?"

"The burning legion is returning…only this time they are bringing the lost legion of Kil'Jaeden with them. Supposedly, he sent half his army to a planet called Xerreth and they were never seen or heard from again. K'uri said that the Tichondrius sealed the portal's sigil into a tome called the Codex of Xerreth," Ishka explained.

The teenager's eyes went wide with disbelief, "What are the odds that all of these people are after Arthas and some little girl just happens to hand him a demonic book? This also happens right when we get news about this upcoming invasion. Something is going on here…remember when that little girl said that her father was one of the people that killed Illidan? Maybe it's all somehow related!"

"What are you talking about?" Maelina asked annoyed.

Ishka perked up interested, "Are you saying this is somehow related to Arthas? Wait! Maybe Illidan had that tome before she did?!"

Maelina seemed surprised as she traded a dazed expression with Kaera, "How would Illidan have acquired the tome?"

"I don't know, but I'm willing to wager that the girl from the orphanage knows. She also seemed to know something about Arthas. We should go talk to her and find out what's going on," Kaera suggested.

The other two girls traded looks of approval. Kaera sighed, "We might as well investigate this…nobody around here is going to be doing much about it if we have an invasion to worry about."

The girls wasted no time as they all made their way towards the elevator quickly. They rode it down and back-tracked through the city for half an hour until finally reaching the orphanage again.

Upon finding it, they noticed some unusual strangers there as well.

"So, kid what's your name?" Anerius, the blood elf rogue asked curiously. Behind him were Ironhoof and Aveil. Maelina and her friends examined these strangers with fascination.

"Zulkraa," the Drakkari troll girl answered.

"I see, Zulkraa…and just out of curiosity have you seen a human death knight around here in the city? He would be tall and heavily armored. Carries a rune blade," Anerius spoke slowly.

The little troll girl looked at him uncertainly.

One of the orphan matrons, Lydia, walked up confused, "What makes you think we've seen a death knight in Shattrah?"

"Who are you guys?" Zulkraa asked fascinated as she examined the three horde champions.

Aveil looked at her closely, "She's a Drakkari…how in da blazes did she get out here mon?"

The little troll girl's eyes lit up in awe as she stared at Aveil. "Are you a shaman?!" she asked excitedly.

Aveil simply nodded with a lack of interest.

Lydia quickly spotted Ishka and her friends standing in the doorway and waved, "Oh hey girls, welcome back. I didn't expect to see you back here so soon! Where's your friend at?"

The three horde champions turned around lightning fast and stared at the draenei trio like meat on a stick. "Umm…" Ishka was immediately uncomfortable as she examined the strangers' appearances. One was a lean blood elf rogue with long black hair. Another was an abnormally attractive troll woman with a braided, blue Mohawk, and the final one was the biggest tauren she had ever seen; armored to the teeth.

Thankfully, Kaera broke the awkward silence, "You guys are the horde officers that just got here right?"

Ironhoof looked surprised that she knew this. "How did you know that?!"

She gulped fearfully as the Tauren reached for his massive mace and claymore. The fact that he was dual wielding weapons meant to be two handers made this situation even more intimidating.

The children fearfully backed away and Lydia gasped in shock that the Tauren actually drew his weapons in an orphanage.

"W-wait, there is no need for any of that," Lydia laughed as she skittishly waved her arms in front of Ironhoof. The ebony, red-eyed Tauren simply glared without saying a word.

"Ahem, excuse Ironhoof and his over the top behavior…he has been at war for so long that he forgot his civility," Anerius interrupted rudely as he emphasized his disapproval for the Tauren's actions.

Ishka spoke up timidly, "So…are you the guys looking for Arthas?"

Ironhoof's eyes were set ablaze with fury as he charged across the room knocking over countless furniture and terrifying the children. He made it to the draenei girls at unbelievable speed before stomping his massive hoof as hard as possible right in front of them.

The girls all screamed in terror as they fell down. The children didn't fare much better as they all scurried and shouted. Lydia was frantically chasing them around the room trying to calm them.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Ironhoof demanded at the top of his lungs.

"I know where he is…" an amused and slightly arrogant voice sounded from across the room. Ironhoof, Aveil, and Anerius all turned their gazes towards a young human girl with a smug look on her face. Her lack of fear greatly concerned Lydia and many of the other children.

"You freak, don't make them angrier!" a random orphan said fearfully.

"Why are you guys after Arthas? He's a paladin. Are you bad guys?" Raserius, the young blood elf orphan, asked.

Anerius looked at him shocked, "Are you kidding me?! Do none of you idiots even know who he is?!"

Maelina, Ishka, and Kaera all glanced over at him anxiously, "Who is he?!" they all asked in unison. Ironhoof simply shook his head in disgust.

"Arthas said he was a paladin from Lordaeron…he said he wasn't with the Alliance. If you guys are horde officers then what possible reason would you be pursuing him for?" Lydia asked curiously.

Anerius looked around the room and simply laughed, "You've got to be kidding me…a whole damn city and nobody knows a damned thing?!"

"Please, sir…don't use that language in front of the children. It will scare them…" Lydia interjected fearfully.

"Lady, do we look like we give a single fuck about scaring children?! The man we're after is dangerous! He's killed tens of thousands of people…many of which undoubtedly by his own hand," Anerius said frustrated.

Ironhoof looked at the fearless, cocky girl leaning against a wall across the room, "You there…you say you know where he is?"

Tira nodded her head, "Of course I do…I also know, who he is."

The tauren laughed, "Then you must know that I am here to kill him."

The draenei girls and many of the children gasped in horror at this comment. Others were simply trying to soak up what was being said. Ishka could tell that many of the children didn't understand what the horde officers were saying.

The girl simply laughed at Ironhoof's claim, "Hahaha, is that so? What makes you think you can?"

"He is nothing but a simple human. He no longer commands his power and Frostmourne is broken! We will kill him this day!" Ironhoof roared. Anerius got mad at Tira's comment along with Ironhoof, "Who are you to think you can insult officers of the horde, little girl?!"

"Why can't I? Are you going to kill me you knife-eared eared prick?" Tira let out a sinister chuckle.

Anerius' face was flustered with pure rage at her insult, "How dare you!"

He pulled out a knife from his pocket and threw it full force at the preteen, but Tira simply stopped it midair. The rogue looked shocked by this display, "She's telekinetic…"

Lydia seemed horrified by this as did many of the other children. They quietly gossiped amongst one another as Anerius gritted his teeth.

"Dat girl be dangerous, Anerius…don't be mistaken her appearance. Something foul is afoot here," Aveil spoke up anxiously.

"Hey little girl, ummm Tira right?" Kaera spoke up timidly as she fearfully stood up. Ironhoof looked down at the draenei briefly before focusing his gaze back on Tira.

The girl glanced at Kaera carelessly, "Yeah? What do you want?"

Her bored and completely uninterested tone was clearly emphasizing her lack of desire to even speak to the girl.

"That book you gave Arthas…was it the Codex of Xerreth?" Kaera spoke more assuredly.

Tira raised a brow surprised, "Wow…I didn't think any of you would actually know that. Yes, it was. My father gave it to me for safe-keeping."

Maelina stood up next and seemed very angry, "Why did you give that evil tome to Arthas?! Just who is he to you anyways?!"

"Why should I tell you? What are you afraid? I imagine the news must have come as a bit of a shock huh?" Tira smiled cruelly.

Ironhoof seemed very interested in this bit of information, "What news and what is this thing you gave the human?"

"You're all so inquisitive…so helpless and ignorant the lot of you. My father would find this pretty amusing if he were here hahahahahaha," it was at this point everybody was starting to get the impression that Tira was pure evil.

Ishka finally found her courage as she stood up and looked at Ironhoof intently, "Please, tell us who Arthas is. We met him on the road in Terrokar. He seemed really nice."

The tauren glanced over at her disbelievingly, "Nice?"

Aveil and Anerius traded uncertain glances. "What do you mean he was nice?" Aveil asked shocked.

"Arthas was great! He told me all about how beautiful Northrend and Zul'drak were!" Zulkraa stated confidently. She was one of the few children that had the courage to stay and watch.

Aveil's jaw dropped, "Did he now? Young one, do you know about your tribe?"

She looked down shamefully, "Not much…all I know is I am from the Drakkari Tribe. Arthas told me that we were great warriors and often fought with these giants and bug people."

Anerius shook his head, "There's no limit to how disgustingly wicked that human is. Kid, Zul'drak is a frozen hell hole. It's infested with undead and polluted by disgusting scourge toxins. Most of them were wiped out and Arthas-"

Aveil quickly reached her hand out to cover the blood elf's mouth, "Shhh, don't be spreadin tings like dat. We don't know who we can trust in dis place yet."

Zulkraa looked surprised, "W-what? What do you mean it's polluted…but A-arthas said it was beautiful."

The blood elf quickly grabbed Aveil's wrist and pushed her arm away, "Of course…I forgot we are 'under orders' to report this."

"Arthas lied to you kid…like he lies to everybody. He is an evil, death knight, but he's not just any death knight, he's-" Anerius was about to blurt out until Aveil punched him as hard as possible in the throat.

"Shut up mon! Do you really want da locals getting involved in dis?!" Aveil shouted annoyed. Anerius quickly leapt to his feet and regained his composure.

Tira shook her head amused, "It won't stay secret for much longer. Arthas has far too much charisma to go unnoticed by Outland."

Anerius chose to ignore the girl as he wiped some blood from his mouth and chuckled, "You're something else, Aveil…"

Ironhoof shook his head in disgust at this scene before turning his attention back towards Tira, "Where is he now, girl?"

Tira smiled slyly as she walked closer towards the tauren. He looked down at her rigidly awaiting a response.

However, before anybody could even comprehend what just happened, Tira released a quick shadowbolt at the Tauren which sent him flying into a wall.

Aveil and Anerius looked shocked by this display. "What the hell was that?" the blood elf rogue demanded as Ironhoof tried to regain his bearings.

Lydia seemed to be in a state of terror upon witnessing Tira's shadow magic. The girl casually crossed her arms, "Hahahahaha!"

Her laughter was wicked and purely malicious. Ishka could tell that she enjoyed hurting others just by that display alone. Kaera shivered, "What a little monster…that girl is a demon I tell you!"

Tira imitated a goat sound, "Bahhhh!" before her laughter resumed. Everybody in the room felt extremely uncomfortable from this bleat display.

Kaera gritted her teeth angrily, "HEY! Don't do that!"

"Why? Are you going to stop me with your prayers goat girl?" Tira chuckled.

Kaera suddenly felt extreme rage building inside of her, "SHUT UP! You're an evil little wretch!"

Ironhoof shook his heavy head and growled, "You dare to attack an officer of the horde?! You will die for this!"

Tira turned around and glanced at him with a malevolent chuckle, "Hahahaha! Moo!"

The tauren lifted his heavy sword over head and swung it down full force towards Tira, but was shocked when she simply disappeared. The massive tauren jerked around desperately to locate her.

"Looking for me?" Tira smiled as she leaned against an adjacent wall.

Lydia and many of the orphan children were horrified by this display. "W-w-what is all of this, Tira? You're a magic user? But how?"

The brunette focused her emerald eyes on the matron and nodded, "A little late to the punch, matron Lydia. Of course I am a magic user Any other obvious facts you want to point out?" Her tone was extremely condescending and insulting.

"W-where did you learn to do that?" Lydia asked timidly as she began to shake.

Aveil and Anerius stared at the preteen intently curious. Tira brushed a hand through her pigtails, "Well my mother was a pyromancer and my father is a warlock so there's no telling where I could have picked it up." Everybody could tell that she was mocking Lydia with this comment.

Ironhoof slowly approached her again with a fierce battle stance, "Enough games, child. Tell me where he is now…"

"Why are you so desperate to find him? It's rather pathetic if you ask me…" she stated factually.

Ironhoof was about to swing his mace down, but stopped midswing when the girl didn't bother moving. She didn't even flinch as she stared at him with a carefree grin.

The tauren seemed almost unsure of himself as he backed away and sheathed his weapons on his back, "No…it wasn't my fault. I did everything I could, but there were too many centaurs."

Anerius and Aveil traded confused glances. The blood elf raised a brow, "Uh, you okay buddy? What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's scary isn't it Ironhoof? Knowing that no matter how strong you become, you'll never be able to live up to your father's legacy. Poor Stonehorn was such a great warrior. Everybody loved him…yet in that battle for Mulgore, you lived while he died. How did it feel letting your father sacrifice his own life because of your incompetence?"

Instead of anger, the Tauren simply stared at the ground in despair. He was clearly recalling a terrible memory which everybody managed to piece together in their own minds. Apparently his father's death weighed heavily upon him.

"What did she do to ya Ironhoof?" Aveil asked gravely worried.

"I read his mind…" Tira answered, "would you like me to read yours Aveil?"

The troll's eyes widened, "We should get away from here fast. Dat is not a little girl!"

Anerius huffed, "What a sadistic, demonic child…she clearly has a motive, Ironhoof. Let me do the talking. Excuse me miss…"

"Tira Ebonlocke," the girl finished for him with a sadistic grin.

Anerius thought for a moment, "Ebonlocke? Sounds like a human noble name. I recall hearing it once from my visit to Lordaeron. Who is your father child?"

"I seem to have forgotten all of a sudden," Tira said innocently in contrast to her wicked grin.

Aveil shook her head, "Dis, girl be trouble mon…she not like ordinary humans. Dis be dark magics indeed."

"You're very pretty for a troll…you would make a great doll. A pretty little puppet that I could do with as I please," Tira noted as she examined Aveil's tall slender physique.

Aveil seemed spooked by the girl's suggestion and her unnerving stare. "What do you want from us, child?"

"I want you to die…" she laughed before unleashing a huge blast of fire. Thankfully Aveil countered it with a wave of water which ended up soaking the entire room. However, several pieces of furniture and the nearby wall were all set ablaze.

"Where did that little bitch go?" Anerius demanded as his eyes scanned the room. Everybody looked around for Tira but were unsuccessful.

"She must have disappeared again," Aveil noted before she examined the fire throughout the room. It wasn't like ordinary fire. It was green and burned like felfire. The shaman wasted no time trying to douse the flames. It took quite a bit of work, but she eventually managed to quell them.

Anerius shook his head, "Green fire…I've never seen anybody who wasn't a demon that could create green fire."

"What do ya think Ironhoof? We should probably report this to Sarkon…dis be trouble if dat little girl is somehow connected to Arthas," Aveil interjected.

Anerius rubbed his hands through his now soaked black hair, "Hey kids…you said that girl gave Arthas a book? What did you call it again?"

There was an awkward silence following this question. It was at this point, Anerius knew what they were doing. They were going to hold out on giving him information unless he told them about Arthas.

However before anybody could speak, Ironhoof found his inner rage again, "Ugh…I've had enough of this. The human is somewhere in this city, let's find him!" Ironhoof wasted no time as he charged past the draenei girls and out the door. Aveil and Anerius casually followed behind him. Upon reaching Ishka and her friends, they blocked the exit.

Anerius cocked his head, "So you three met him in Terokkar and honestly had no idea who he was?"

They all traded looks before silently nodding. The blood elf shook his head, "You're better off not knowing anyways. Arthas will be dead long before any of you even get up to speed with what he's done in Azeroth."

"At least tell us who he is!" Maelina pleaded.

"First I want to know what that demon kid gave to Arthas? What did you call it?" Anerius almost demanded.

Kaera looked at Ishka uncertain if they should answer first. Finally, Ishka spoke up, "We'll tell you if you tell us about Arthas first."

The blood elf let out an over-exaggerated sigh. He knew this was going to happen. Anerius glanced over at Aveil who simply shrugged carelessly, "Might as well tell them…it won't be long before everybody knows anyways."

The black haired blood elf sighed, "He's the former prince of Lordaeron, defiler of the sunwell, master of the scourge, and wielder of Frostmourne…he is the Lich King."

Lydia who had been cowering in a corner up until this point walked over horrified, "W-w-w-what?! T-that's impossible! T-the L-lich King can't be here!" Many of the children began to get frightened as well, but a vast majority of them probably didn't understand what that meant.

"What's the Lich King?" Zulkraa asked as she crawled out from under a scorched table.

"I thought the Lich King was some kind of undead god…but that man couldn't have been such a monster," Lydia trailed off with a horrified expression.

Aveil gave her a disbelieving glance, "How do ya not know? Don't all ye humans know about Lordaeron and Prince Arthas?"

Raserius, the blood elf orphan was crying, "It's not true! He can't be a bad guy! He's a good guy! He's a paladin!"

Many of the other children were crying as well, but that was more out of fear from Tira's earlier display.

"Since when did being a paladin make anybody good? If you knew anything about human paladins, you would know that they are as ruthless and evil as the things they hunt. Grow up kid…the world is full of people like Arthas. He's nothing but a malicious and cunning tyrant who only knows how to lie, kill, and destroy. It's no wonder that evil little girl thought the world of him," Anerius stated factually.

The blood elf boy simply glared at the man, "He's a better person than you and your friends…"

For some reason this comment really seemed to get under Anerius' skin. He cracked a fist at the boy as if he was about to say something but instead just turned his attention back towards Ishka.

"Tell us what that girl gave to him," Anerius demanded again.

However, the draenei girls were still processing what Anerius just told them. "The L-lich King?!" Ishka stated in disbelief.

"Leader of the Scourge…" Maelina trailed off.

"There's definitely something going on then. If that Tira girl gave Arthas the Codex of Xerreth…and she's evil, then we need to find out why," Kaera tried to rationalize the situation.

Ishka was still in complete and utter shock. She had heard rumors from the travelers of Azeroth about this ruthless and terrible Lich King. Her mother even mentioned it once or twice in their conversations about the scourge. Like many people in Outland, her idea of this Lich King was simply an unfathomable, grotesque, and undead creature. The very idea that somebody like Arthas could be a bedtime story monster was simply too much to bear.

Zulkraa looked down sadly, "So what really happened to my people then?"

Aveil sighed, "They still live, but their vast kingdom has fallen into ruin. Many willingly chose to serve da Lich King and were wiped out by the Alliance and Horde. Zul'drak isn't much to look at anymore child…"

The drakkari girl frowned sadly. She had clearly never been in a situation like this before and it showed. Zulkraa simply wandered off without saying another word as tears began to flow down her face.

"What else do you know about him? What did the Lich King do in Azeroth?" Maelina asked with a serious and desperate tone.

"We were part of da raid that sacked Icecrown Citadel, his fortress in Northrend. It took thousands to even break through da defenses. He commanded monstrous undead dragons, vampires, Val'kyr, and all da darkest creatures from yer nightmares," Aveil explained.

Kaera perked up interested, "So you were unsuccessful?"

The shaman nodded, "Yah, we were…from the gates of Icecrown to the very pinnacle of the Frozen Throne, we fought through countless waves of undead. It seemed impossible, but during the battle we actually managed to destroy Arthas' sword, Frostmourne. But even afta the Ashbringer broke his sword, Arthas would not die. I've nevah seen a human fight as fiercely as him. It be puttin orcs to shame if ya ask me. He managed to escape and we followed him to the Dark Portal. However, he outsmarted us by turning our leaders against each other. He is very cunning. I'd almost admire him if he wasn't evil. Although, I suppose da horde is lucky that he did not become king of the Alliance. Da humans would have been unstoppable with him as their leader."

Aveil seemed to be rambling in her own reminiscence of Arthas. She clearly had some level of respect for him due to her non-hostile tone. Unlike Anerius and Ironhoof, she seemed very impressed by Arthas' ability to survive.

"So he was a prince?" Ishka asked.

The troll nodded her head redundantly, "I don't really have time to explain dis all day to you. Jus ask some other travelers about him. Blood elves in particular seem to know a great deal about the humans of Lordaeron."

"Okay, so we told you about him…now tell me what this Codex of Xerreth is," Anerius cut in anxiously.

Kaera quickly answered him, "It was a tome that contained the sigil for the portal to the planet Xerreth. Apparently is was the location of the lost legion of Kil'jaeden. They're on their way to Outland as we speak."

Anerius' jaw dropped, "Come again? The Burning Legion is returning to Outland? Now? But why?"

Aveil looked at him seriously, "Sarkon needs to know dis!"

"Ugh…and here I thought I was going to get a drink before I had to leave Shattrah. Alright, let's go get Ironhoof. Thanks for the information kids. But please keep it to yourselves for now. I don't want the locals trying to claim some jurisdiction bullshit when we go after Arthas," Anerius said as he waited halfway out the door.

"They won't…we've got much bigger problems to deal with now," Ishka sighed.

Without another word, Anerius and Aveil left the building to find Ironhoof. The girls all looked amongst each other before Ishka spoke up, "I need to speak to my mother."

"We'll come with you," Kaera responded as the three took off leaving the poor orphanage behind in shambles.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

Meanwhile, Arthas was walking through the lower city as stealthily as he could. He made sure to check behind himself and overhead every couple of seconds. His alertness was at an all time high. Part of him hated feeling this stressed over the idea of people hunting him. Yet oddly enough he got a thrill out of it in some ways.

The odd voice he heard in his head from earlier came as a great surprise to him, but he quickly figured it was this A'dal, Naaru that everybody kept talking about. He figured it was worth asking Vyara about it once he got to Shadowmoon Valley.

This whole experience in Outland was certainly a refreshing wake up call for him. He hadn't felt this alive in years. Despite the few negative experiences he had so far, Shattrah turned out to be well worth the trip. Plus now that he had his map and some sense of purpose, he decided it was finally time to get out of the city and return to his Val'kyr.

For some reason he felt worried about them. Normally he never concerned himself over such matters, yet right now, Arthas hoped that Olrun and his other servants were remaining safe and hidden. Then he remembered the runestone he gave them. If he managed to get cornered here in the city, then his servants weren't far away.

Part of him thought about this for a minute. _'I should probably call them here now…by the time it takes them to arrive, some self-righteous asshole will probably have cut me off.'_

Arthas channeled his runic magic into the stone and caused it to glow an eerie blue before putting it back in his pocket_. 'Good…even if there is no danger before they get here, it will save me a lot of walking to fly out of here.'_

He continued walking for another hour towards one of the southern entrances in the city. The one he picked was more obscure and he figured there would be enough trees for quick concealment once he got out of the lower city. This one was unguarded thankfully…but that seemed rather unusual though.

As he made his way closer towards the exit he got a really bad feeling that something was about to happen. He stopped in his tracks momentarily and instinctively channeled a very powerful anti magic shell. When his eyes opened he saw a beam of holy energy erupting across his shell and splashing the surrounding area.

After the blast subsided, his magic shell did as well. "Aeryssa, I thought we agreed that we weren't going to kill him." a familiar forsaken mage sighed.

"Does he look dead to you Mortukai?!" the feisty priest shot back.

"Arthas!" a resounding female voice cried. Arthas looked up at the nearby wall and saw a familiar figure. Valerica somersaulted off the wall and landed directly in front of him with Quel'delar drawn.

"Oh it's just you guys…" he said with a carefree attitude as he looked around for any more horde champions.

A vein bulged out of Valerica's forehead as she became flustered, "What do you not take us seriously now?!"

He glanced at her up and down, "Not really. But I take those blood red lips of yours seriously."

Aeryssa's jaw dropped at this comment and Mortukai simply raised a brow in disbelief.

"W-what?!" Valerica demanded as she swung her blade down at Arthas. He simply side-stepped her and kneed her in the stomach before grabbing her wrist.

He squeezed extremely hard causing her to grimace in agony, "AHHH! Let go you sick bastard!"

Her grip on Quel'delar was soon lost as Arthas snatched the handle out of her hand. He then kicked her to the ground and looked at her sword interested, "Hmmm…this is a really nice sword. Mind if I keep it? Mine's broken."

Valerica stood up slowly and soon felt extremely embarrassed as Mortukai began to laugh, "I told you girls that trying to attack him would be stupid."

Aeryssa looked almost panicked as she glanced over at the undead mage, "Do something Mortukai! He's going to kill her!"

Arthas simply sighed, "You guys should just give up on trying to kill me…I won't die until my mission is complete."

"Mission?" Aeryssa spoke up confused.

"What are you talking about, you pig?!" Valerica demanded flustered.

He simply chuckled, "Are you still mad about the kiss? I must admit, you're the first elf I've ever kissed. You should feel honored."

"Why did you do that?" she asked quietly.

"I think you know why…" Arthas said vaguely hoping it would throw them all off. Thankfully it seemed to work.

For reasons she couldn't explain or dared not to…Valerica's face went scarlet, "Stop that! How am I supposed to take you seriously when you say things like that!"

"Oh I'm sorry am I making you uncomfortable Valerica? Your hair is so beautiful today…you should wear it in that elaborate ponytail all the time," Arthas continued.

Valerica didn't know what to say and simply looked away completely embarrassed.

Aeryssa glared at the man menacingly, "Don't you dare look at my sister like that you human mongrel!"

"Yeah, you're right…I should look at you instead. You're the prettier one anyways and that black hair looks great with your robes," Arthas was clearly enjoying this now.

Both blood elves got flustered by this comment. "Shut up, you disgusting, perverted monster!" Aeryssa shouted.

"What makes you think she's prettier than me?!" Valerica demanded.

Mortukai face-palmed at this, '_He truly is a mastermind._'

Aeryssa simply huffed, "Besides the fact that it's true, who cares?! Stop playing games with us human!"

"Oh so you don't like foreplay then?" Arthas laughed. This comment caught Aeryssa completely off guard. She grimaced angrily, "How dare you suggest such a rancid idea! You're a fiend!"

"Yeah I've been really bad…I need you to absolve me of my sins. Can you do a confession here, babe?" He said smoothly.

"Who are you calling babe?!" Valerica demanded as she took a step closer. However Arthas quickly pointed her sword at her causing her to back away.

"So you two are sisters huh? Hmm…I can make this happen," he said almost to himself.

"Make what happen?" Valerica asked not really sure if she wanted to know.

Before either woman could say anything else, Mortukai spoke up, "Stop taking his bait you idiots. You're both embarrassing yourselves and worst of all me."

"Ah, who are you exactly?" Arthas asked the undead mage.

"Mortukai, I once served under you back during the glory days of Lordaeron," the mage said in a somewhat polite manner.

Arthas thought for a moment, "Did I kill you?"

"No, you just killed our home instead," the mage responded. Arthas could tell the undead man was bitter about this.

"So…what kind of things has Sylvanas been filling all of your heads with?" Arthas asked curiously.

"Arthas…why did you kill your father? After all of these years since Lordaeron fell, it is the one question that simply drives me mad. I must know…please tell me," the mage requested somewhat sincerely.

The man blankly stared at him, "Even if I told you, and even if you believed me…none of it would make either one of us feel better. I was never the man my father wanted me to be…I was never him."

"I never thought I would get the chance to say this to you…but I thought you were going to be the greatest king we ever had. To see you on the battlefield…your very presence lifted morale in ways you couldn't imagine. The commoners thought you were a hero…I thought you were invincible. When we saw you leading our armies from the front, we knew victory was assured. What happened to that man? What happened to you? Why did this happen?" Mortukai seemed very depressed as he opened up.

Arthas himself was surprised by the sheer honesty that this forsaken man had just expressed to him. This mage…this former citizen of his Kingdom was genuinely unhappy about hunting Arthas down. Unlike other forsaken he had grown used to seeing under Sylvanas' rule, this one seemed heavily reminiscent of his old life.

Aeryssa and Valerica seemed interested in Arthas' reaction to this. The prince simply looked away and sighed, "I live a life full of regrets, Mortukai. I could lie to you and say it was beyond my control…but that would not be true. Here's the truth from one citizen of Lordaeron to another…when I touched Frostmourne for the first time, everything changed. I-"

"There you are, human!" a voice interrupted from behind. Arthas quickly turned his gaze behind and saw Ironhoof charging full speed with both weapons drawn. The Tauren wasted no time unleashing a flurry of swings.

Arthas narrowly dodged several before parrying with Quel'delar. The Tauren was surprised to see Arthas wielding it, "What are you doing with Valerica's sword?!"

"Umm…" Valerica spoke up annoyed.

The tauren looked at her in disbelief, "You let this happen again?! Are you trying to make us look stupid?!"

"What do you think you're doing! Were you going to try and kill him before reporting back to Sarkon?!" Aeryssa demanded.

Ironhoof snorted, "Looks like you three were trying to do the same thing…"

"Oh spare me, Ironhoof…we were simply talking to Arthas," Aeryssa shot back.

"You were?" he laughed at the priestess.

Thankfully, Aveil and Anerius managed to catch up to Ironhoof as they came sprinting behind him. Both were panting heavily.

"You know for a gigantic bull wearing enough armor to sink a ship…you run pretty damn fast!" Anerius panted.

"Ironhoof, we need to report to Sarkon, there's bigger trouble going on now. The Burning Legion is coming back to Outland!" Aveil stated seriously between heavy breaths.

The tauren turned around and glanced at them for a moment, "Ugh…fine but I want to know what that demon kid gave him."

"What demon kid?" Valerica spoke up curiously.

"It's a long story…we'll fill you in later," Anerius answered.

Arthas quickly glanced over at Mortukai with a downcast stare, "Maybe we'll finish this conversation some other time."

The mage simply nodded without saying a word.

"Hey, what were you about to say to him?" Aeryssa demanded genuinely interested.

"What's going on right now?" Anerius asked as he looked between Arthas and the other horde champions there.

"Why is that human holdin ya sword, Valerica…" Aveil sighed as she shook her head.

Arthas chuckled, "Oh I'm just holding onto it for a minute so she doesn't try to cut my head off again."

"I can see through your little act, Arthas…deflecting questions with humor. Trying to keep us from focusing on the real issues. You're little game isn't going to fool me anymore," Aeryssa spoke up assuredly.

Much to her annoyance, Arthas didn't even bother looking at her or acknowledging her comment. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Don't just ignore me now that I can see through your bullshit!" Aeryssa continued.

"Human, there was a little girl that gave you a book earlier. Do you still have it?" Aveil asked as she walked between Arthas and Ironhoof. The tauren reluctantly backed away.

Arthas looked at her for a moment, "Do you mind if I feel your hair?"

"What?" she asked bewildered. Before anybody could even react, Arthas quickly put her in a submission hold and whispered into her ear, "Don't move." He had Quel'delar held to her throat and one of his legs wrapped around one of hers.

She felt very weird in this position, but it only continued to amplify as Arthas slowly brushed a hand over her braided blue Mohawk. "Sorry, I just wanted to do that." he laughed as he released his hold and let her back away.

The shaman eyed him in disbelief, "Whatchu playin at human?"

"You know, I'd almost like you people if you weren't trying to kill me," Arthas laughed.

"You're a damned monster! How dare you touch her!" Anerius shouted as he drew his daggers.

The death knight smiled, "Oh I didn't realize she was your girlfriend."

Both Anerius and Aveil blushed crimson at this comment and looked away in utter embarrassment.

"Give us the book that the little girl gave you and I'll let you live…for now," Ironhoof threatened which brought the situation back to a more serious state.

Arthas looked at him curiously, "Why? How do you guys even know about it anyways?"

"Because that little brat almost killed us!" Ironhoof announced.

"That's not something I would go around admitting to people," the death knight noted causing Ironhoof to become angrier.

He swung his sword at Arthas which the prince quickly parried. This soon erupted into an all out swordfight as the two unleashed a whirlwind of steel against one another. However, the thing that surprised most of them was the fact that Arthas wasn't really trying to fight back. He was simply defending himself. Before long, Ironhoof simply ceased his attacks, "Why don't you fight back?!"

"You don't really want to die that badly do you?" Arthas replied.

Much to all of their surprise, the prince walked over to Valerica and handed her sword back to her, "Try not to loose it this time, hothead."

Her mouth was agape with utter shock, "What are you doing?!"

Mortukai seemed genuinely deep in thought, '_Perhaps it was beyond his control…the Lich King I know would never do something so chivalrous.'_

"What's the big idea with you anyways?! You think acting nice to us will make us stop hunting you?" Aeryssa huffed.

He simply shrugged, "I'm not a nice person and I don't really try to be. I thought about killing all of you, but then I figured why bother? You're all beneath me anyways."

Mortukai looked at him for a moment and thought, _'He looks as if he's trying to act apathetic. Maybe Arthas regained his soul when Frostmourne was broken…of course! Then maybe he didn't choose to kill King Terenas.'_

"What are you saying we're not good enough to kill?" Valerica demanded clearly offended.

He nodded his head, "Yeah, I wouldn't want to kill a blood thistle addict anyways. It seems like such a merciless thing to do."

"How the hell would a human know what blood thistle is?!" Valerica exclaimed.

"Does your sister know you do drugs?" Arthas asked the paladin as he looked over at Aeryssa. The priestess raised a brow, "Do you really take blood thistle Valerica?"

"I…" she bit her lip and refused to continue.

Aeryssa shook her head, "That's pretty sad…how did you know that human?"

"Her lips tasted like Blood thistle…among other things haha," he chuckled. Aeryssa shook her head in disbelief, "The Lich King takes blood thistle too…now I've truly seen it all."

"No, it was recent…some crazy blood elf woman tried to drug me earlier. I thought she was with you guys…but it's hard to tell sometimes. Anyways the taste was pretty similar to Valerica's ruby lips so I just assumed she was an addict," the man said coolly.

He could hardly believe how easy it was to talk down these hunters of his. One moment they were trying to kill him and the next he had them standing around gawking. Arthas knew he could just as easily kill them, but for some reason he felt compelled not to. He didn't really know why. If it came down to it he would, but for now they were no threat to him.

'_What is this feeling? Why don't I just kill them? It would be so easy…like cutting through parchment._' The prince had a hard time piecing together his own thought process right now, but after a while he simply began to wonder, '_Have I regained my conscience?'_

"What are you saying all blood elves are alike?" Aeryssa asked clearly boiling with attitude.

Arthas nodded, "Well if they were all like you, then I doubt there'd be very many humans around."

"I didn't have a problem with humans until your crazy ass came rampaging through Quel'thelas and destroyed our precious sunwell!" Aeryssa shouted.

"Don't forget about how I killed King Anasterian and tortured Sylvanas…blah blah blah," Arthas added.

Valerica glared at him, "You think this is funny?! You completely ruined the relationship between our two kingdoms. You're insane if you think you can keep this charade of yours going for much longer. Pretty soon we're going to end up cutting you down and avenging our people."

"You think I ruined the relationship between humans and elves? Hah…you people clearly didn't know your own king then. Maybe none of this would have happened in the first place had King Anasterian chosen to play a more proactive role in fighting the scourge. I remember my father asking him for help once. You know what he said? He said the scourge did not concern his people. He said that he had already repaid his aid to humanity for help against the Amani and that we were on our own. Well I'm pretty sure he ended up eating those words when I cleaved through him with Frostmourne," Arthas replied with a low violent tone.

His change in tone greatly worried the surrounding champions who nervously backed away. Valerica huffed, "So he chose not to help and in return you ruined our people?"

"I didn't ruin your people…in case you haven't noticed, they're alive and well. Probably stronger than ever now that they spread here and across all horde territories," Arthas replied.

Aeryssa thought for a moment about this, '_Is he for real? This…I want to know more.' _

"Oh really? Then why did you humans treat us so poorly then? Does your race just have this acquired hatred of us? I remember the way your paladins treated us back then," Valerica said almost emotionally.

"Yes, because those paladins were dying on the front lines everyday while you elves frolicked around in your little forest. I was one of those paladins…you want to talk about unfair treatment? My people didn't have magical little forests to protect them. They had to join the militia or die," Arthas said callously.

Mortukai's jaw dropped at this comment, "So, you do care about Lordaeron and it's people still…even after all this time," he spoke up out of nowhere. Everybody glanced over at him shocked. Even Arthas himself was surprised.

Their gazes soon redirected towards Arthas and the prince simply sighed, "I would have given anything to save them…even my own soul."

His sincerity behind this comment caused all of the horde champions to step back and ponder it for a moment. Ironhoof calmed down a great deal as he a small wave of empathy hit him. '_Did he really just say that?_'

'_Maybe we weren't blameless_…' Aeryssa thought to herself sadly.

The others were all still trying to comprehend the fact that Arthas had just shown sincerity in front of them.

"Hey, Arthas…back at Icecrown Citadel before you escaped…you said sorry. Who were you saying it to?" Aeryssa asked curiously.

The prince did not like being cross-examined like this, "I've already spoken too much with you fools anyways. Get out of my sight." He quickly walked past them towards the gate, but soon found it blocked as Aeryssa stopped him with both arms outstretched, "Stop!"

"I'm going to say this once…move," Arthas said in a low menacing tone.

She sighed as she slowly stepped to the side. As Arthas walked past her she spoke softly, "If you want to do that confession I'll listen…"

He turned around and glanced at her confused, "What?"

"It's weird. I've hated you for so long, but it's just different when you actually talk to us. You don't seem as evil as I thought you were…" Aeryssa trailed off.

Anerius glanced at her surprised, "What are you talking about Aeryssa? Don't buy into his lies. He's evil. You're a damned priest you should know that."

"If he was evil he would have killed us…if he was evil he wouldn't care about his own people. If he was evil he wouldn't be sincere…" Aeryssa explained.

The rogue thought for a moment, "This…this is all a trick. It must be…c'mon you guys. You know how he is. He's the Lich King!"

"Those draenei kids seemed to like him…" Ironhoof added.

"Liked him you mean. Who could possibly like the infamous Lich King?" Anerius responded.

Arthas' eyes widened, "You told them?"

The rogue nodded his head, "Yeah we did…they seemed pretty heartbroken when they discovered how manipulative and evil you are."

"Oh well," Arthas said carelessly as he turned and left. He pretended not to care, but this actually pissed him off a great deal. Yet he was too proud to let this rogue get the best of him and faked apathy instead. Anerius was about to charge after him, but Ironhoof stopped him.

"No…Aeryssa speaks truly. He could have killed me half a dozen times back during that swordfight, yet he chose not to. Hell he could have killed all of us countless times. Why does he hold back?" Ironhoof asked aloud. This topic clearly had him on edge.

Valerica looked at her sister shocked, "You're not honestly buying into this are you? Arthas is a bastard after all. You said so yourself, Aeryssa."

"He's right though…maybe that's why humans don't like us. I always thought it was just some arrogant sense of entitlement. I never realized King Anasterian refused to send proper help to Lordaeron. I mean think about it…had we chosen to aid them, Arthas never would have turned to evil."

"Not you of all people, Aeryssa…I thought you hated him! Even if you're right, that doesn't excuse his actions. Right Mortukai?" Valerica asked.

The forsaken mage simply sighed, "He lost his soul when he touched Frostmourne…perhaps Ner'zhul took advantage of his negative emotions and made him do these things."

"Ok now you're just grasping for straws. You're not honestly going to stand there and try to justify the Lich King's actions for killing thousands of people right?" Anerius asked annoyed.

"I don't know…but all I do know is that I am done with hunting him. Tell Sarkon I resign," Mortukai replied casually.

"You can't be serious mon…you can't resign," Aveil said shocked.

Aeryssa glanced over at her sister, "So, how long have you been doing blood thistle, Valerica? Do you chew it or smoke it? Maybe you're the kind of person that snorts it…"

"I can't believe this…" Valerica sighed.

The priestess simply shook her head, "I'm tired of all this…and all of you. I quit too." The ebony haired blood elf wasted no time walking back towards the city.

Ironhoof looked over at Aveil and Anerius, "We should probably report this to Sarkon…"

Without another word the three of them took off leaving Valerica and Mortukai alone. The paladin sighed, "Well I guess it's just us now. Let's go follow him and…Mortukai, where'd you go?"

The mage was nowhere to be seen. Valerica simply shook her head and laughed, "Oh so that's how it is then…fine, I'll follow him alone."

She made sure nobody was around before touching her lips briefly, '_He never did tell me why he kissed me…_'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Arthas was replaying the scene with the horde champions over and over in his head. He didn't know why, but it seemed to really break through to him.

He hated to admit this, even to himself, but he actually enjoyed talking to them. His mind lingered on several things in particular. Mortukai and his disposition were one of his primary thoughts, but he was also greatly surprised by Aeryssa's sudden change of heart.

It made him think, '_If everybody understood each other a bit better, there'd be a lot less hatred.'_

It didn't take long before he realized somebody was following him. He quickly turned around and spotted Valerica. She rolled her eyes when they made eye contact.

"What are you doing here? Why are you following me?" he asked.

"We're hunting you, remember?" she said matter of fact.

He eyed her up and down and sighed, "Why are you really here…"

"It's about what you said…about well everything I guess. I just want to know…would you ever find it in your heart to apologize to the blood elves?" she started.

Arthas raised a brow, "Apologize? First of all…what makes you think I'm ever going back to Azeroth?"

"Well…then what are you doing out here? What is this mission you spoke of earlier?" she asked confused.

He thought for a moment, '_Should I tell her? No…she would laugh at me. But I've already made some progress with these people today. I wonder how she would react. Maybe I can test this out and see how she responds. No I'm better off keeping it to myself for now._'

"I came out here to get away from you people trying to kill me. I have no intention of dying anytime soon. If you're willing to get over that simple fact then we're on good terms," He said with a hint of a joking manner.

It seemed ineffective at lightening her mood as she continued to stare at him with a serious expression. There was a brief awkward silence before she spoke again, "Why did you kiss me back at the dark portal? No more jokes…no more bullshit. I want to know."

The man brushed a hand through his silvery locks and sighed, "No you don't."

"Umm…yes I do. Now answer the damn question!" she ordered.

"Hahaha, you really want to know huh? Okay I'll tell you…I kissed you because it seemed like a good idea at the time," Arthas laughed.

She narrowed a her brow, "I thought I said no jokes…"

"I wasn't joking. Ever since I had that near death experience, my life has regained its value to me. We could all die at any moment…me especially. With danger always one step ahead and death one step behind, there's no reason for holding back anymore. My life is full of regrets…but I don't want anymore of them. If something seems worth doing then I will do it. I realized that it's only when you've lost everything that you're free to do anything. If I could die at any moment, then what would I have to lose by kissing a beautiful woman," Arthas replied.

"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked genuinely shocked.

He simply nodded. She looked away blushing madly. Valerica could hardly believe that this man, her sworn enemy for the past several years had just made her heart skip a beat.

"You're still an evil asshole…and just so you know the next time you try that, I'm going to kill you," she countered.

"Then it's a deal…" he agreed.

She narrowed her gaze at him, 'What's with this guy? He's just so…I mean was he REALLY the Lich King?'

"Just so you know, I think you're…" Valerica trailed off at the end of her sentence. She clearly seemed embarrassed and ashamed of what she was about to say and decided to stop.

Before Arthas could respond, a wave of Val'kyr descended all around them. Many raised their weapons ready to attack her, but Arthas waved them off. His steed landed in front of him and let out a shrill of joy. He quickly mounted Invincible before glancing at Valerica, "Hopefully you change your mind about me…I'd hate to have to kill you again."

With that, he took off with his Val'kyr leaving the blood elf woman behind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

So yeah, things are getting pretty heated this chapter. Perceptions are changing…and new foes are arriving. Hopefully I can keep this little story going for a while. Anyways, thanks for reading.


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